THE  HIDDEN 

OF  THE 

ANCIENT  QABALAH 


a 


(LIBRARY) 
UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 
SAN  DIEGO       ! 


THE  HIDDEN  TREASURES 
OF  THE 

ANCIENT  QABALAH 


BY 
ELIAS'GEWURZ 


"And  cherish  deep  within  thy 

heart   the    memory   of   those 

who  have  served  as  a  channel 

of  light  to  thy  perplexed  soul, 

tnd  be  thou  grateful  to  them." 

— From  the  Golden  Precepts 

of  Trismegistus. 


VOL.1 

THE  TRANSMUTATION  OF  PASSION 
INTO  POWER 

YOGI  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY 

Masonic  Temple 

Chicago,  111. 


The  substance  of  chapters  one  to  six  inclusive  has 
been  read  before  the  Krotona  Lodge  of  the  Theosophical 
Society  during  May  and  June,  1915.  Chapter  eight 
was  given  before  the  Krotona  institute  during  the 
session  of  February-March,  1915.  While  chapter  seven 
was  read  before  the  Krotona  Lodge  on  the  19th  of 
January,  1915. 

ALL   BIGHTS   RESERVED. 


Copyright 

1918 
YOGI  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY 


WHAT  IS  THE  QABALAH? 

The  Qabalah  is  the  Secret  Doctrine  of  the 
Jews,  handed  down  throughout  the  ages  by 
the  great  teachers  to  their  beloved  disciples 
under  the  solemn  vow  of  secrecy. 

In  the  Twelfth  Century,  however,  the 
principal  text-book  of  the  Qabalah  was  writ- 
ten down  by  a  very  learned  Rabbi  named 
Moses  de  Leon.  This  book  is  known  as  the 
Zohar,  and  contains  inexhaustible  mines  of 
occult  knowledge.  Priceless  treasures  of 
mystic  lore  are  scattered  in  its  volumes, 
awaiting  discovery  by  the  intelligent  stu- 
dent. The  language  of  the  Zohar,  however 
(the  Hebrew  Chaldaic),  known  to  a  very 
few  scholars  only,  constitutes  the  main  dif- 
ficulty in  the  way  of  those  desirous  of 
studying  the  Qabalah. 

The  learned  assemblies  of  olden  times,  in 
which  the  great  Masters  of  Israel  held  forth 
their  doctrines,  have  been  the  original 
sources  of  the  philosophy  of  these  latter 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

days.  Modern  Occultism,  too,  is  derived 
from  the  same  quarters,  and  should  the 
pages  of  the  Holy  Qabalah  be  accessible 
some  day  to  the  English  student,  he  will  be 
astonished  and  delighted  at  the  wealth  of 
occult  truth  he  will  find  in  them. 

The  books  of  the  Qabalah  are  fountains 
of  living  waters  and  at  a  time  of  great 
spirtual  need,  as  the  present  is,  the  strength 
and  consolation  offered  us  through  its  teach- 
ings are  doubly  welcome. 

The  greater  part  of  my  life  has  been 
devoted  to  this  study,  and  the  teachings 
given  out  in  my  books  are  all  based  upon 
this  ancient  wisdom  of  the  Rabbis 

ELIAS  GEWURZ. 

Krotona,  Hollywood, 
Los  Angeles,  California, 
May,  1915. 


CONTENTS 


Chapter  Page 

I.     THE    VESSEL    IN    WHICH    TRANSMUTA- 
TION  TAKES    PLACE 9 

II.     THE     FEMININE     ELEMENTS     IN     MAN 

AND    THEIR    REDEEMING    POWER 29 

III.     SPIRITUAL  COMPANIONSHIP  BETWEEN 

MAN    AND   WOMAN    45 

IV.  THE  KNOWLEDGE  OF  GOD  OBTAIN- 
ABLE THROUGH  LOVE  PURE  AND 
UNDEFILED  _ 61 

V.     THE  MYSTERY  OF  TIME  AND  SPACE. 73 

VI.  THE  PEACE  THAT  PASSETH  UNDER- 
STANDING   85 

VII.     JUSTICE    AND    MERCY _.„    95 

VIII.     ON  THE  THRESHOLD  OF  THE  SANCTU- 
ARY     _ 1 07 

IX.     THE    ETERNAL    LIGHT   ACCORDING   TO 

THE    QABALAH    121 

X.     REGENERATION    ACCORDING    TO    T  H  E 

QABALAH     124 

QABALISTIC  PRAYER  ...  „.  126 


Rabbi  Eleazar,  the  beloved  disciple  of  the 
Heavenly  flame  (Rabbi  Simeon),  was  pon- 
dering over  the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  "And 
unto  the  broken  in  heart  the  Lord  is  nigh." 
"Master,"  he  said,  "why  should  it  require 
the  breaking  of  the  heart  in  order  to  bring 
God  nearer  to  us?"  "My  dear  child,"  re- 
plied Rabbi  Simeon,  "the  heart  of  man  is 
ruled  by  a  multitude  of  powers;  their  hold 
upon  it  is  due  to  Karmic  debts,  and  every  at- 
tachment is  an  obligation  of  past  lives.  The 
ineffable  light  of  the  Holy  One  cannot  shine 
through  us  until  these  obligations  are  dis- 
charged. It  requires  a  transparent  medium 
to  reflect  a  flame;  dense  and  opaque  bodies 
do  not  transmit  the  light  falling  on  them. 
It  is  the  same  with  the  heart  of  man;  when 
its  bonds  are  broken,  God  draws  nigh 
unto  it" 


The  Vessel  in  wh\ch  Transmutation 
Takes  Place 


Our  birth  is  but  a  sleep  and  a  forgetting, 
The  soul  that  rises  with  us  our  life's  star  has 

had  elsewhere  its  setting 
And  cometh  from  afar 
Not  in  entire  forgetfulness 
And  not  in  utter  nakedness 
But  trailing  clouds  of  glory  do  we  come 

from  God  who  is  our  Home. 

— Wordsworth. 


I. 


THE    VESSEL    IN    WHICH    TRANSMUTATION 
TAKES  PLACE 

Man  is  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made; 
he  is  the  meeting  point  of  descending  and 
ascending  nature;  the  arena  in  which  the 
mighty  Gods  fight  their  battles,  and  princi- 
palities and  powers  strive  for  mastery 
over  it. 

The  nature  of  man  is  so  intricate  and 
complex  that  even  this  physical  constitu- 
tion alone  has  not  been  exhaustively  ex- 
plored as  yet. 

There  are  still  chambers  within  chambers 
and  regions  within  regions,  mysterious  and 
unknown.  Now  if  this  is  so  the  physical 
body,  which  is  plainly  visible  to  our  senses 
and  the  organs  and  parts  of  which  can  be 
touched  and  handled,  what  about  our  men- 
tal and  spiritual  natures  which  are  much 
more  subtle  and  more  elusive? 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

If  we  lack  certainty  as  regards  the  body 
terrestial,  how  great  must  our  ignorance  be 
when  we  approach  the  celestial  vehicles? 

And  yet  we  cannot  say  we  are  without 
knowledge  regarding  our  higher  nature,  and 
much  has  been  given  to  this  generation  for 
which  preceding  ages  longed  and  yearned 
in  vain.  Knowledge  has  been  flowing  into 
our  minds  for  the  last  four  or  five  decades 
which  has  dispersed  both  the  superstitions 
of  the  Dogmatic  Churches  and  the  arrogant 
Dicta  of  the  official  scientists.  But  knowl- 
edge, no  matter  how  plentiful  and  profound, 
is  no  remedy  for  human  ills,  unless  it  is 
accompanied  by  love  and  by  the  desire  to 
apply  it  to  its  proper  use.  On  the  contrary, 
of  two  ill-disposed  persons  the  one  who 
knows  most  is  the  more  dangerous  because 
as  his  weapons  are  sharper,  they  can  do 
more  harm. 

And,  in  fact,  it  so  happened  that  with  the 
advent  of  knowledge,  its  abuse  grew  apace, 
and  side  by  side  with  the  good,  which  it 
brought  into  the  world,  it  gave  birth  to  all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  evil. 


10 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

The  great  mistake  made  by  the  seekers 
of  knowledge,  a  mistake  which  proved  most 
fatal  to  their  spiritual  welfare,  was  that  they 
sought  knowledge  for  its  own  sake.  This 
was  bound  to  result  in  failure  and  to  frus- 
trate the  very  object  of  their  search.  Man's 
mission  on  earth  is  to  attain  freedom;  he 
must  be  freed  from  all  that  binds  him  to 
earthly  associations.  This  endeavor  is  the 
supreme  task  of  man  individually  and  of 
humanity  collectively.  The  alchemists  of 
old  illustrated  this  pilgrimage  of  man  to- 
wards liberation  by  their  various  processes, 
tinctures,  and  manipulations.  Their  vessels, 
laboratories,  metals  and  transmutations 
were  so  many  names  for  the  one  and  the 
same  thing,  namely,  the  illumination  of  the 
human  soul  and  her  redemption  from  mat- 
ter. The  well-known  saying,  "To  dissolve 
and  to  coagulate"  meant  nothing  but  to  tear 
asunder  the  bonds  of  passion  binding  the 
soul  to  matter  and  having  dissolved  even 
the  most  subtle  threads  of  desire  and  attach- 
ment, to  turn  the  life  stream  upwards  and 
to  coagulate  it  with  the  pure  elements  of  the 
11 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

Soul.  The  vessel  in  which  this  process  takes 
place  is  the  body  of  man.  This  vehicle  of 
manifestation  is  the  crucible  in  which  the 
pure  gold  is  tried  and  proven,  the  alloy  and 
the  dross  burned  away,  so  that  only  the 
sterling  substance  remains 

The  human  body  is  the  real  cross  upon 
which  crucifixion  takes  place.  Each  Ego 
chooses  its  own  kind  of  cross  according  to 
its  special  need.  If  our  body  happens  to  be 
weak  and  handicaps  us  in  life's  race,  it  is 
not  a  misfortune,  a  misfortune  though  it 
seems. 

It  may  be  awkward  from  a  material  point 
of  view,  but  looked  at  from  the  higher  vistas 
of  the  spirit  it  is  invariably  a  blessing  and 
contains  some  great  lesson  of  which  the  Ego 
is  in  dire  need. 

It  must  therefore  be  borne  in  mind  that 
while  transmutation  takes  place,  and  until 
it  is  complete,  the  vessel,  which  is  the  body, 
must  needs  suifer  from  the  effects  of  the 
process  going  on  within  it.  If  the  man  has 
been  living  a  riotous  life  in  the  past  and 
then  suddenly  turns  the  other  way  about 
12 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

and  wishes  to  become  a  saint,  he  cannot  do 
so  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye;  his  various 
bodies,  which  as  we  know  are  living  and 
knowing  organisms,  do  not  at  once  submit 
to  the  change  of  front  on  the  part  of  their 
owner.  They  feel  that  they  ought  to  have 
been  consulted  about  the  transaction  and 
they  make  their  grievances  known  by  vari- 
ous pains  and  aches  and  discomforts.  These 
are  generally  the  symptoms  accompanying 
the  process  of  transmutation.  The  labora- 
tories of  Nature  are  conducted  on  the  same 
principle  everywhere.  Whether  it  is  the 
chemist  trying  to  compound  a  medicine  or 
the  alchemist  trying  to  create  a  new  sub- 
stance, they  both  base  their  practices  upon 
the  eternal  and  invariable  law  of  affinity 
which  governs  the  generation  and  growth  of 
every  thing  in  the  vast  realms  of  manifest 
nature.  A  little  reflection  will  convince  us 
of  this  perfect  analogy  subsisting  between 
nature  and  man  and  will  help  us  so  to  order 
our  lives  as  to  profit  by  all  the  wise  pro- 
visions which  she  has  made  for  the  welfare 
of  her  creatures  in  all  the  kingdoms. 

18 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

When  man  first  turns  his  eyes  heaven- 
ward, praying  to  be  lifted  up,  the  task  con- 
fronting him  is  tremendous  indeed.  The 
age-long  associations  of  body,  mind  and 
soul  have  to  be  severed  and  new  affinities 
have  to  be  established.  Looking  at  these 
things  from  outside  we  say  one  must  exer- 
cise "self-control."  I  wonder  whether  any 
one  of  us  realizes  the  fullness  of  the  glory 
of  that  human  being  who  has  really  over- 
come. It  really  amounts  to  the  making  of  a 
new  creature,  one  ceasing  to  be  a  man  and 
beginning  to  be  a  God. 

We  understand,  of  course,  that  the  real 
battle  is  going  on  inside  the  man.  What 
we  see  on  the  surface  are  only  moving 
hands  on  the  dial  of  a  clock ;  the  clockwork 
is  inside.  The  springs  of  conduct  are  hid- 
den from  our  eyes;  the  cause  of  things  is 
beyond  our  ken.  We  often  believe  we  know 
ourselves  and  our  interests,  but  the  real  man 
and  his  real  needs  pass  our  comprehension. 
In  his  infinite  wisdom,  the  Supreme  Lord 
has  thus  ordained  it  that  self-knowledge 
should  come  to  man  by  degrees.  While  his 

14 


The  Hidden  Treasures  oj  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

nature  is  being  transformed,  the  knowledge 
of  Self  filters  in.  Just  look  at  the  four  kinds 
of  yoga  taught  by  the  Eastern  sages.  They 
were  designed  to  facilitate  this  introduction 
of  Self-knowledge  into  the  mind  and  the 
establishment  of  normal  relations  between 
the  Divine  and  astro-mental  parts  of  man. 
Raja  Yoga  was  to  purify  the  lower  man, 
Karma  Yoga  was  to  turn  his  energies  into 
sacrificial  work,  Gnani  Yoga  was  to  refine 
his  manasic  vehicles  by  mental  exercises 
and  study,  and  at  last  Bhakti  Yoga  was  to 
unite  him  to  God  by  love  and  devotion.  To 
most  of  us  it  is  not  given  to  tread  all  the 
paths  at  the  same  time;  we  are  limited  by 
our  congenital  failings,  and  heredity  and 
environment  are  against  us,  so  as  some  of 
us  enter  the  Path  we  usually  progress  along 
the  lines  of  least  resistance. 

If  we  are  of  a  practical  turn  of  mind  we 
become  Karma  Yogis,  if  students,  we  be- 
come Gnanis,  if  we  are  strong-willed  we 
subdue  our  bodily  and  psychic  natures  and 
become  Raja  Yogis,  and  if  our  natures  are 
affectionate  and  the  love  element  is  the 

15 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

strongest  then  we  become  Bhaktis.  All  of 
these  lead  to  the  same  goal  and  at  last 
merge  into  one  another. 

He  who  strives  for  liberation  must  finally 
master  all.  Yoga  like  Alchemy  requires  the 
whole  Man;  compromise  is  out  of  place  in 
these  altitudes,  and  he,  who  reserves  to  him- 
self a  little  foible  or  some  pet  indulgence 
and  thinks  it  will  be  all  right  in  spite  of  all, 
will  find  it  very  expensive  indeed,  because 
the  ladder  will  give  way  and  the  rung  he 
thought  he  would  skip  will  prove  a  pitfall 
for  his  feet. 

The  analogy  between  Yoga  and  Alchemy 
is  so  perfect  and  so  instructive  that  one  can- 
not help  admiring  that  wonderful  spiritual 
guidance  from  on  high  which  has  come 
down  to  the  founders  of  both  these  sciences. 

You  are  aware  that  Yoga  comes  from  the 
East,  while  Alchemy  comes  from  the  West. 
I  believe  that  no  great  work  has  ever  been 
accomplished  by  man  on  earth  without  help 
from  those  Spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect, 
who  are  always  around  us  like  clouds  of 
v  witnesses  to  render  help  wherever  needed. 

16 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

Now  the  System  of  Yoga  has  been  taught 
for  centuries  in  India  and  the  practices  of 
Alchemy  have  been  studied  for  ages  in 
Europe.  Both  these  schools  have  had 
helpers  in  the  higher  spheres  who  inspired 
their  labors.  That  the  teachings  of  both 
agree  in  their  essential  principles  is  one 
more  proof  of  their  Divine  origin.  Now  the 
most  salient  feature  of  both  Yoga  and  Al- 
chemy is  their  agreement  as  to  the  vessel  „ 
in  which  the  operation  is  to  take  place.  It 
is  the  body  of  man ;  by  body  I  do  not  mean 
the  physical  vehicle  only,  but  the  mental 
body  as  well.  Both  have  to  be  put  in  the 
furnace  and  purged  from  their  old  dross 
until  the  glorified  spirit  is  free.  "To  pro-  V 
duce  gold  one  must  have  gold"  is  a  Her- 
metic saying;  well,  the  gold  is  the  spiritual 
soul  within  us.  It  is  she  who  has  to  be 
resurrected  from  the  ashes  of  Self  sense  and 
sin  so  that  she  may  enter  into  her  rightful 
possessions  of  the  Divine  Gifts  of  virtue, 
wisdom,  and  love  promised  to  her  by  the 
Giver  of  all  good  gifts,  the  Father  of  Lights  / 
from  whom  she  comes.  "Life  itself,"  says 
IT 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

Patanjali,  "is  the  great  teacher  of  Yoga." 
The  cosmic  procession  of  life  passing  be- 
fore our  eyes  is  the  High  School  par  ex- 
x~  cellence  in  which  the  children  of  men  grad- 
/      uate  into  Yogis  of  various  degrees  and  rank. 
/       Every  cycle  pushes  humanity  a  little  further 
upon  the  high  road  of  evolution,  and  as  one 
spiral  is  passed  and  another  reached,  Man 
finds  he  has  grown  almost  imperceptibly  in 
all  the  graces  and  accomplishments  inci- 
l          dental  to  the  latest  stage  of  unfoldment. 

r     Those  who  wish  to   go  ahead   of  their  """"^ 
brethren  must  not  wait  for  the  generality     I 
of  men;  they  must  step  out  of  the  beaten    / 
track  and — as  it  were — take  a  hand  in  their   / 
own  making.     The  present  moment  is  very   L 
favorable  for  this  independent  departure,     / 
because  the  cyclic  law  favors  it  and  the  new 
dispensation   into   which  we   are   entering 
makes  it  easier  of  accomplishment.     In  the 
mineral,  vegetable,  and  animal  kingdoms,  / 
the  units  undergoing  evolution  are  helpy 
lessly   subject   to   the    law   governing  ihe 
group-soul;  on  the  human  plane  only  does 
independent  initiative  come  in. 


18 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

Arrived  at  this  stage  the  Jiva-Atma  or 
the  Spiritual  Soul  is  at  liberty  to  break  loose 
from  the  mass  and  to  start  on  its  way  back 
to  the  source  of  its  origin.  This  way  of 
return  is  through  the  chamber  of  ordeals, 
the  crucible  in  which  transmutation  takes 
place.  All  metals  must  be  purified  and 
transformed  into  gold,  which  means  that  all 
outgoing  tendencies  must  be  mastered, 
drawn  in,  and  turned  upward  so  that  they 
may  serve  to  energize  the  pure  Spirit — and 
help  to  manifest  him  according  to  his  dic- 
tates instead  of  drawing  him  as  hitherto 
after  their  own  inclinations. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  process  in 
particular  as,  owing  to  Karmic  bonds,  we 
all  have  different  burdens  to  bear,  but  on 
the  whole  it  is  safe  to  say  that  at  any  time 
in  our  life  we  are  to  be  found  in  just  that 
place  and  surrounded  by  just  those  condi- 
tions which,  if  understood  and  respected, 
would  invariably  help  us  to  fulfill  the  law 
and  by  so  doing  draw  nearer  to  the  goal, 
namely,  the  liberation  of  our  souls  from  the 
bondage  of  illusion.  But  unfortunately  we 

19 


V 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

are  never  quite  reconciled  to  the  hard  facts 
of  this  world  and  this  life,  and  even  the 
best  of  us  think  we  are  in  the  wrong  place 
and  if  it  were  not  for  this,  that,  and  the 
other,  we  might  be  better  off,  and  have  a 
better  chance  to  be  happy  and  good.  But 
my  dear  Brothers  and  Sisters,  it  is  not  so! 

We  are,  as  I  said,  at  every  moment  of 
our  lives,  just  where  we  ought  to  be,  and 
happy  the  man  who  can  realize  this  truth 
in  all  its  wonderful  simplicity.  The  vessel 
of  transmutation  into  which  we  have  been 
thrown  will  never  give  us  up  until  we  are 
quite  ready  and  well  done;  let  us  not  oppose 
the  process  and  thus  retard  the  advent  of 
our  freedom. 

As  you  are  aware,  everything  in  this 
world  is  governed  by  analogy  The  law 
that  governs  the  atom  is  the  same  which 
governs  man,  and  the  law  that  presides  over 
the  evolution  of  man  is  identical  with  the 
law  that  rules  the  universe.  Bearing  this 
in  mind,  how  significant  every  act  of  ours 
becomes!  Often  even  slight  and  seemingly 
unimportant  actions  of  ours  may,  in  their 
20 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

ramifications,  generate  karmic  results  of 
tremendous  importance  to  our  fellow-men 
and  to  the  world. 

Especially  is  this  true  of  people  of  high 
spiritual  status.  They  are  doubly  responsi- 
ble for  their  thoughts,  words,  and  deeds, 
because  they  create  corresponding  effects 
upon  the  higher  planes.  -^ 

"To  him  to  whom  much  is  given,  of  him 
much  shall  be  required";  that  is  to  say,  the  \ 
man  of  power  must  be  alive  to  it,  that  with 
the  acquisition  of  power  he  increases  his  J 
obligations,  and  the  more  powerful  he 
grows,  the  more  sacrificing  must  he  be. 
When  the  lower  elements  of  our  constitution 
become  transmuted  and  refined,  we  acquire 
great  powers  and  many  gifts,  and  the  danger 
arises  that  we  may  not  adequately  appre- 
ciate the  solemn  duties  attaching  to  them. 
The  law  of  God  can  never  be  broken;  it  is 
we  who  break  ourselves  in  violating  its 
eternal  decrees. 

Having  overcome  most  desires,  as  we 
finally  do,  in  the  process  of  transmutation, 
we  must  also  overcome  the  greatest  of  and 

21 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

I  most  subtle  of  all  desires,  and  that  is  the 
desire  for  power.  Power  for  its  own  sake 
is  not  worth  having,  and  more  than  that,  it 
often  throws  the  disciple  far  deeper  down 
into  the  abyss  than  bodily  self-indulgence. 
It  is  the  same  with  spiritual  pride — Pride 
is  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  can 
never  be  forgiven.  Therefore,  when  under- 
going the  transformation  of  our  natures  in 
the  crucible  of  life,  we  ought  to  see  to  it 
that  these  subtle  and  poisonous  elements 
are  got  rid  of  in  the  process. 
~  Let  us  now  recapitulate  the  main  points: 

/    As  soon  as  man  begins  to  be  dissatisfied  with 
his  old  life  and  his  old  habits  and  learns  to 

\      appreciate  the  grave  beauties  of  the  higher 

I      life,  the  process  of  transmutation  is  started 
within  his  constitution.     He  may  not  yet 
^       actually  have  done  anything  to  begin  the 
new  life,  but  the  mere  resolution  to  do  so 
plants  his  feet  upon  the  path.     Even  to  see 
only  the  futility  of  the  vain,   sinful  and 
empty  life,  means  half  the  battle  won.  When 
a  definite  step  is  taken  and  the  desires  truly 
renounced,  the  Karmic  effects  are  mighty 
22 


V 


\\ 


The  Hidden  Treasures  oj  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

and  far-reaching.     If  the  aspirant  is  strong 
enough   to   persist   in   spite   of   the   trials    / 
springing  up  on  every  side,  as  he  advances    \ 
on  the  Path,  then  the  work  of  transmutation     / 
enters  the  second  stage,  which  is  the  stage     \ 
of  unification.     Before  this  is  reached,  all     ) 
passion,  whether  physical  or  mental,  must  / 
be  rooted  out  of  his  nature.     Unification  is 
the  crown  of  the  great  work;  it  is  the  reward 
of  ages  of  effort  and  aeons  of  hard  labor. 
Truly  blessed  is  the  man  in  whom  the  Divine 
Self  has  been  united  permanently  to  the 
astro-mental  part  which  is  all  we  see  of  one 
another  while  on  earth.  When  this  conjunc- 
tion has  taken  place,  man  has  ceased  to  be 
subject  to  the  laws  of  man;  for  him,  we 
have  been  told,  "no  law  can  be  framed"; 
he  has  ceased  to  be  a  child  of  earth,  for  he 
has  become  in  the  truest  and  deepest  sense, 
a  child  of  God. 

Now  there  is  one  thought  I  would  like  to 
impress  strongly  upon  our  minds  at  this 
point.  It  is  this:  while  this  higher  and 
nobler  life  is  eminently  desirable  and  all  of 
us  would  fain  attain  unto  it,  we  must  not 


23 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

forget  the  grim  reality  of  this  every  day 
existence  of  ours  and,  while  reaching  out 
for  the  higher  life,  let  us  not  by  some  care- 
less act  or  acts  wreck  this  prosaic  founda- 
tion upon  which  the  poetical  structure  of  the 
life  beautiful  is  to  be  raised. 

Many  have  made  this  mistake  and  de- 
stroyed themselves  body,  mind,  and  estate, 
in  order  to  develop  spiritually.  What  they 
really  did  achieve  was  entire  ruin  both 
physical  and  spiritual.  Let  us  in  our  en- 
deavor to  live  the  higher  life  be  as  practical 
as  we  are  in  the  management  of  our  mun- 
dane affairs.  Above  all,  let  us  be  guided 
by  reason  and  let  us  discard  everything  that 
is  cloudy  and  vague,  and  after  having  done 
all  we  possibly  can  do  to  guard  against  the 
blind  forces  of  the  lower  nature  and  to 
master  all  that  is  beneath  us,  let  us  remem- 
ber that  we  are  infinitesimal  expressions  of 
the  one  great  law,  and  we  can  do  nothing 
better  than  commend  ourselves  to  its  Su- 
preme Author,  the  great  Law-giver.  He 
knows  us  better  than  we  know  ourselves  and 
He  loves  us  better  too. 

24 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

And  therefore  we  say  unto  this  last,  "Into 
Thy  hands  do  we  commit  our  Spirit  and  our 
souls  into  Thy  keeping." 


J'he  Feminine  Elements  in  Man 
and  their  Redeeming  Power 


27 


Much  shall  be  forgiven  unto  her  who 
loveth  much. 


Love  on,  through  doubt  and  darkness,  and 

believe 
There   is  no  thing  which  love  may   not 

achieve. 

—E.  W.  W. 


II. 


THE    FEMININE    ELEMENTS   IN    MAN   AND 
THEIR  REDEEMING  POWER 

Strength  and  beauty  are  the  two  attractive 
elements  of  our  nature,  but  the  masculine 
strength  and  the  feminine  beauty  are  in 
reality  one  and  the  same  thing.  That  which 
we  admire  as  strength  in  the  man  is  the 
same  element  that  fascinates  us  as  beauty 
in  the  woman. 

The  difference  consists  in  the  way  of  their 
manifestation  only.  When  the  spirit  has 
gained  sufficient  power  on  the  outgoing  path 
and  is  strong  enough  to  hold  the  power  that 
is  his  in  eternal  potentiality,  then  beauty 
appears  on  the  scene  and  transforms  the 
agressive  forcefulness  of  the  man  into  the 
gentle  attractiveness  of  the  woman. 

To  be  quite  exact,  beauty  is  strength  on 
a  higher  spiral ;  when  strength  ripens,  it  be- 
comes beauty.  This  is  the  spiritual  aspect 

29 


The  Hidden  Treasures  oj  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

of  it,  that  seems  to  have  been  voiced  by  all 
the  sages  of  antiquity. 

Even  savage  man  of  prehistoric  times  was 
subject  to  the  attractions  of  the  physically 
much  weaker  female,  thereby  acknowledg- 
ing her  superiority  over  his  brute  force. 

The  law  which  governs  the  generation  of 
energy  on  the  inner  planes  of  being  also 
presides  over  the  evolution  of  beautiful 
forms;  the  source  whence  strength  springs 
is  identical  with  the  origin  of  all  that  is 
pleasing  to  our  sight. 

Man  is  by  nature  the  aggressor,  the  mov- 
ing factor,  whose  energy  makes  the  plastici- 
ty of  the  world-soul  yield  her  latent  treas- 
ures. 

Woman,  on  the  other  hand,  contains  these 
treasures.  She  is  identical  with  the  World- 
Soul,  and  in  her  the  strength  of  man  be- 
comes transformed  into  beauty,  which  is  the 
higher  aspect  of  strength.  Right  here  I 
must  remind  you  that  in  every  man  is  con- 
cealed the  womanly  element  just  as  every 
woman  has  masculine  qualities.  In  fact 
there  are  such  things  as  womanly  men  and 

30 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

manly  women.  Here  we  are  concerned  with 
the  spiritual  nature,  and  as  regards  this,  it 
is  well  for  us  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  femi- 
nine nature  is  far  superior  to  the  masculine 
both  in  its  sensitivity  to  the  unseen,  and 
in  its  capacity  of  sacrifice  and  devotion  to 
the  ideal. 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  depre- 
ciating "the  mere  man."  I  could  not  very 
well  do  that,  but  what  I  want  to  emphasize 
is  this,  that  true  greatness  and  nobility  of 
soul  are  due  to  those  qualities  within  us 
which  are  feminine  by  nature. 

It  matters  not  whether  the  physical  body 
one  wears  is  that  of  a  male  or  a  female; 
It  is  the  perfection  of  the  spiritual  nature 
that  counts. 

Before  man  can  be  redeemed  his  nature 
must  become  feminine.  Man  stands  for 
positive  action,  while  woman  is  the  symbol 
of  passivity.  The  idea  of  power  is  gen- 
erally associated  with  active  energy,  but  it 
requires  a  stronger  will  to  refrain  from 
action  that  to  act.  Therefore  is  woman's 
sphere  above  that  of  man,  and  her  kingdom 

31 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabdah 

must  come  before  man  realizes  his  true 
nature. 
/"      The  dissecting  and  analytical  function  of 

/  the  mind  is  of  a  masculine  character,  while 
the  synthesis,  the  gathering  up  and  consum- 

J  mating,  is  altogether  womanly.  This  applies 
to  all  the  realms  of  nature;  to  everything 
under  the  sun.  In  the  battle  of  life,  while 
making  his  pilgrimage  through  this  wilder- 
ness of  earthly  existence,  man  is  like  a 

V  strong  oak,  or  a  trusty,  sturdy  oaken  stem, 
but  woman  like  a  vine  clinging  in  grace  and 
beauty  to  him. 

This  expression  of  female  tenderness  on 
the  physical  plane  is  only  an  emblem  of  the 
true  relation  on  the  plane  of  spirit.  There 
the  companionship  is  free  from  the  vicis- 
situdes of  earth,  and  partakes  of  the  Divine 
nature  only.  The  relations  between  the  sexes 
on  the  higher  planes  are  in  accordance  with 
the  heavenly  law  governing  those  planes. 
Those  whose  good  fortune  it  was  to  know 
the  pure  friendship  of  a  woman  on  the  earth 
plane  have  had,  even  in  this  life,  a  foretaste 
of  the  Heavenly  condition.  Its  effect  upon 

82 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

the  physical  nature  is  the  same  as  when  the 
sun  draws  up  the  muddy  water  of  a  stagnant 
pool  by  the  roadside,  and,  changing  its 
vibrations,  returns  it  as  the  gentle  life-giving 
rain,  softening  the  dry  earth. 

Thus  is  the  effect  of  the  sweetness  and     ) 
light  emanating  from  a  pure  soul  in  whom    ( 
passion  has  been  stilled  and  desire  trans-  J 
muted. 

It  is  through  this  recognition  of  the  spirit- 
ual elements  within  us  which  are  of  a  femi- 
nine'nature  that  the  atoms,  molecules  and 
particles  of  the  physical  body  become  glori- 
fied and  healed  and  the  mind  becomes  il- 
luminated. 

The  human  soul  is  in  possession  of  the 
greatest  of  all  Divine  gifts — the  power  to 
heal  other  souls;  mark  you — not  only  bo- 
dies, but  Souls. 

The  gift  of  healing  is  in  itself  a  great 
boon  to  mankind,  but,  when  to  it  is  added 
the  power  to  heal  the  heavy-laden  soul  of 
man  then  the  possessor  thereof  is  indeed  a 
favored  mortal  whom  the  Gods  delight  to 
honor.  This  spiritual  gift  of  healing  can 

88 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

only  be  exercised  by  that  man  or  by  that 
woman  in  whom  the  mind  has  been  dual- 
ized, that  is  to  say,  it  has  become  male- 
/  female  in  one.  In  those  in  whom  this 
process  of  mind-dualization  has  been  ef- 
fected, a  new  life  springs  up  which,  com- 
pared to  the  old  one,  is  like  light  unto 
darkness.  It  is  here,  right  here  that  the 
redeeming  power  of  the  feminine  elements 
in  man  is  seen.  At  the  first  birth  man  is 
endowed  with  the  earthly  mind,  but  at  the 
second  birth  he  receives  the  heavenly  one. 
\  To  the  twice-born  sons  and  daughters  of 

God  all  things  are  possible. 
/*"      To  some  of  us  this  exalted  state  may  seem 
/     a    dream,   but   dreams   and   longings   are 
1      founded  upon  true  being  for  no  one  can 
1      long  for  that  which  has  no  existence  or  the 
possibility  of  existence.  Perception  of  com- 
^       ing  things  is  only  possible  through  concep- 
tion.   The  physical  life  we  live  and  all  the 
desires  of  the  flesh  that  appertain  to  it  are 
like  the  sacred  lotus  of  Oriental  lands.  The 
root  of  this  lotus  is  buried  in  mud  and  slime, 
V     but    from    this    lowly    condition    it    rises 

84 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

through  the  currents  of  the  river  until  at 
last  it  reaches  the  air.  Here  the  plant  blos- 
soms forth  in  luxuriant  purity,  a  type  and 
symbol  of  the  highest  spiritual  development. 

Thus  it  is  with  sex  life.  Sex  life  has  its 
roots  in  the  mud  of  material  life;  it  rises 
through  the  flowing  waters  of  mentality  and 
finally  blossoms  in  the  clear  air  of  our  spir- 
itual nature,  pure,  sacred,  divine. 

Those  whose  feet  have  climbed  the  rugged 
steeps  of  the  spiritual  heights  and  who  have 
at  last  reached  the  summit  will  understand 
the  need  of  their  trials,  and  the  wisdom 
which  ordained  them.  It  is  at  the  very  top 
of  the  mountain  that  the  spiritual  conscious- 
ness opens  and  man  becomes  aware  of  his 
dual  nature.  Then,  when  this  highest  part 
of  his  constitution  is  mature,  he  can  draw 
unto  himself  from  surrounding  nature  that 
which  corresponds  to  this  highest  and  most 
potent  part  in  himself. 

If  he  has  the  Gold  (Love)  within  him, 
he  can  draw  the  very  highest  from  the  vast 
expanse  of  space  by  virtue  of  the  law  of 
affinity  which  makes  like  attract  like. 

85 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

There  is  a  fundamental  difference  be- 
tween the  atomic  elements  of  the  masculine 
and  feminite  principles  in  nature  and  this 
causes  the  difference  in  the  external  form 
of  male  and  female. 

It  is  a  peculiarity  of  atoms  well  known  to 
chemists  that  their  behavior  depends  upon 
their  arrangement,  though  their  nature  is 
not  changed.  Thus  the  difference  in  the 
constitution  between  a  molecule  of  ozone 
and  a  molecule  of  oxygen  is  quite  imper- 
ceptible, but  their  properties  differ  widely. 
Why  this  should  be  so  is  a  mystery  which 
is  perfectly  unfathomable  to  physical  sci- 
ence. The  key  to  this  mystery  is  to  be  found 
elsewhere;  it  lies  in  the  spiritual  forces 
governing  nature  from  within.  The  power 
that  determines  the  mode  of  life  and  activity 
of  an  atom,  or  a  molecule,  is  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  microscope  and  the  scalpel;  it 
is  a  spiritual  power  which  acts  in  accord- 
ance with  laws  not  yet  known  to  the  scientific 
world.  These  laws  are  as  beneficent  as  they 
are  wise,  and  they  invariably  make  for 
human  well-being.  Now  if  we  ascend  the 

36 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

scale  of  creation  and  examine  the  workings 
of  these  atomic  arrangements  on  the  higher 
planes  we  find  the  same  law  holds  good  and 
that  duality  of  sex  and  its  effects  upon  the 
life  of  the  human  species  is  just  as  much 
a  mystery  as  it  is  on  the  lower  planes.  You 
often  hear  of  the  new  mental  type  which 
is  emerging  from  the  present  one;  this  new 
type  is  to  be  a  dualized  mind.  The  holy 
Qabalah  teaches  that  every  thought  and 
emotion  is  represented  structurally  in  in- 
visible substance,  the  highest  and  purest 
aspirations  and  emotions  consist  atomically 
of  bisexual  human  beings  dualized  in  their 
mental  nature  and  patterned  after  the  shape 
of  primal  man.  These  forces,  however,  can 
only  operate  through  those  mortals  who  are 
struggling  to  regain  their  lost  condition  of 
pristine  purity  by  long  preparations,  severe 
moral  discipline  and  self-denial.  Those 
who  have  given  themselves  to  the  service  of 
humanity,  consecrating  their  life,  thought 
and  substance  to  the  furtherance  of  God's 
Kingdom  and  the  doing  of  God's  will  on 
earth,  will  find  that  all  their  old  passions 

37 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalak 

and  desires,  having  once  been  transmuted, 
will  now  spring  up  as  powers  for  good 
within  them.  Eliphas  Levi,  the  great  Qabal- 
ist,  left  his  testimony  to  this  effect.  The 
strength  of  his  devotion  to  the  light  he  had 
seen,  he  assured  his  pupils,  was  in  exact 
ratio  to  the  strength  of  his  former  passions, 
a  force  of  which  he  had  by  severe  discipline 
subdued  and  turned  into  a  servant  of  the 
God  within. 

All  desire  is  centrifugal,  outgoing,  while 
will,  pure  spiritual  will,  is  centripetal  and 
attractive.  Thus  do  the  feminine  qualities  in 
our  constitution  exercise  a  redeeming  power 
over  our  old  Adamic  nature,  and,  until  man 
understands  this  bi-une  arrangement  of  his 
internal  make-up,  and,  understanding  it, 
strives  to  awaken  and  deepen  the  Divine 
Consciousness  within  himself  so  as  to  be- 
come continually  and  increasingly  aware  of 
his  duality,  there  is  little  chance  of  his 
transcending  the  level  of  ordinary  human- 
ity. But,  when  this  miracle  has  happened 
and  the  eyes  of  the  soul  have  been  opened 
and  the  torch  of  faith  has  been  lit,  then  man 

38 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

becomes  more  than  man ;  he  has  established 
his  right  to  be  a  ruler  of  man. 

Christ,  the  everlasting  symbol  of  all  that 
is  true  and  good  and  really  great,  was  of 
a  feminine  nature.  He  only  wore  the  body 
of  a  man,  but  His  soul  was  womanly.  His 
life,  His  labors,  His  final  sacrifice  were  just 
the  means  to  fill  the  measure  before  His 
departure  from  the  valley  of  tears,  in  which 
He  was  to  learn  all  lessons  and  to  suffer  all 
manner  of  pain,  in  order  that  He  might  be 
able  to  help  those  whose  lot  in  life  it  was  to 
suffer  and  to  endure.  If  we  wish  to  benefit 
by  the  redeeming  power  of  the  feminine 
elements  within  us,  let  us  recall  the  memory 
of  the  Lord  of  Compassion  and  the  agonies 
of  His  spiritual  crucifixion.  It  is  an  ordeal 
we  all  must  pass  through,  sooner  or  later. 
Let  it  be  sooner. 

The  supreme  message  of  this  ordeal  to  us 
is  that  we  may  not  try  to  escape  from  our 
Karma,  but  whatever  betide  us,  we  should 
say:  "Let  this  cup  pass  from  me,  yet  not  my 
will,  but  thine  be  done."  Thus  shall  we  learn 


89 


V 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

to  be  patient  under  tribulation  and  strong  in 
the  day  of  trial. 

Millions  of  human  beings,  our  brothers 
and  sisters,  are  waiting  for  our  help.  We 
cannot  help  them  until  we  have  ourselves 
overcome.  The  physician  must  first  heal 
himself  if  he  is  to  be  of  any  use  to  the 
patient.  It  is  a  hard  path  to  tread,  the  path 
of  overcoming;  it  has  been  called  the  path 
of  woe,  but  it  is  also  the  path  of  glory. 
When  we  some  day  arrive  at  the  end  of  it, 
we  shall  understand  the  words  of  the  Con- 
quering Christ  ringing  down  through  the 
ages — "It  is  finished" — "Consumatum  est," 
as  the  Latin  Bible  has  it.  Yes,  then,  we  too 
shall  say  "It  is  finished";  we  have  fulfilled 
the  cycle  of  our  destiny.  Whenever  this 
comes  to  pass,  our  sole  concern  in  this  life 
and  the  things  of  this  life  will  only  be  so 
far  as  they  relate  to  the  spirit's  welfare. 
Henceforth  all  our  striving,  if  we  strive  at 
all,  will  be,  that,  as  the  days  pass  by,  we 
may  grow  juster  and  fairer  and  purer,  more 
kind  and  more  true,  more  silent  and  more 
humble,  and  having  attained  ourselves,  to 

40 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

point  out  the  way  to  the  younger  souls  com- 
ing after  us.  It  is  the  only  means  we  have 
to  repay  the  blessed  Masters  for  Their 
sacrifices,  which  alone  have  made  our  lives 
worth  living. 


41 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 

The  Holy  Supper  is  kept,  indeed, 

Whenever  we  share  another's  need. 

Not  what  we  give,  but  what  we  share, 

The  gift  without  the  giver  is  bare. 

He  who  giveth  Himself  with  his  gift,  f eedeth 

three, 
Himself,  his  needy  neighbor,  and  Me. 


42 


Spiritual  Companionship 
Between  Man  and 
Woman 


48 


What  matter  if  I  stand  alone? 

I  wait  with  joy  the  coming  years; 
My  heart  shall  reap  where  it  has  sown, 

And  garner  up  its  fruit  of  tears. 
The  stars  come  nightly  to  the  sky; 

The  tidal  wave  unto  the  sea; 
Nor  time  nor  space  nor  deep  nor  High 

Can  keep  my  own  away  from  me. 

— Burroughs. 


44 


III. 

SPIRITUAL    COMPANIONSHIP   BETWEEN 
MAN  AND  WOMAN 

In  the  ancient  temples  of  Egypt  and 
Chaldea  they  used  to  tell  the  neophyte  that 
whenever  he  met  some  truly  congenial  com- 
panion during  his  subsequent  career,  it 
would  be  a  sign  that  the  time  of  his  proba- 
tion was  nearing  to  the  end  and  that  he  was 
soon  to  be  recognized  and  accepted  as  a 
disciple  of  a  great  Master.  As  a  rule,  those 
who  enter  upon  the  path  must  dwell  alone; 
solitude  and  loneliness  are  their  lot.  It  is 
only  when  they  have  learned  to  stand  alone 
and  to  remain  unshaken  that  they  are  al- 
lowed the  companionship  of  a  friend.  The 
social  life  of  a  man  distracts  the  soul  and 
makes  it  depend  upon  the  whirl  and  change 
of  events  for  its  sustenance.  When  the  soul 
is  to  awaken  to  its  new  and  true  life,  these 
kaleidoscopic  changes  must  give  way  to 

45 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

constancy  and  unity.  This  cannot  be  the 
case  until  man  has  been  tried  and  proven 
in  the  furnace  of  affliction.  When  he  has 
tasted  of  the  bitterness  of  life's  cup  and 
emptied  it  to  the  very  dregs,  when  one  after 
the  other  of  what  we  call  life's  joys  have 
been  taken  from  him  and  he  has  lost  his 
health,  his  possessions  and  his  friends  too, 
then  a  sense  of  utter  loneliness  comes  upon 
him  and  he  enters  what  the  mystics  call  the 
great  void.  Here  he  has  to  stand  his  trial. 
If  he  passes  it  successfully,  he  is  admitted 
into  the  inner  court  of  the  temple,  and  per- 
mitted to  know  the  true  character  of  his 
Karma  and  the  laws  under  which  it  oper- 
ates. 

Ordinarily  the  children  of  men  are  igno- 
rant of  Karmic  law,  and  they  do  not  know 
the  ways  and  the  means  by  which  they  are 
judged.  But  the  disciple  does  know  these 
things  and  this  knowledge  enables  him  to 
work  with  the  law  consciously  and  intel- 
ligently. As  soon  as  he  can  do  that,  Karma 
relaxes  its  rigidity  and,  instead  of  the  meas- 
ure of  judgment,  the  Lords  of  Karma  grant 

M 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

him  the  measure  of  mercy.  That  is  to  say, 
he  can  now  partake  of  the  things  of  this 
world  and  be  in  it,  without  being  of  it. 

Spiritual  companionship  is  one  of  the 
blessings  that  come  into  the  disciple's  life 
at  this  period.  He  begins  to  recover  his 
friends,  but  this  time  they  are  friends  of  the 
soul  and  bound  unto  him  by  ties  of  spiritual 
affinity.  What  a  comfort  and  a  joy  to  the 
suffering  soul  when  she  finds  a  sister  soul 
here  on  earth  in  whose  company  she  can 
make  her  pilgrimage  to  the  other  shore! 
Blessed  are  the  souls  that  do  find  one  an- 
other while  on  their  journey  homeward 
bound.  The  help  they  can  render  each  other 
covers  many  planes;  the  various  forces  hu- 
man beings  are  possessed  of,  magnetic, 
electric,  sympathetic,  mental,  psychic  and 
moral  are  all  capable  of  being  raised  to 
higher  planes  of  activity.  They  are  all  bio- 
logical in  their  essence,  and,  as  such  subject 
to  the  dominance  of  the  spiritual  will. 

The  union  of  two  beings  strengthens  the 
dominion  of  the  will,  and  especially  is  this 
the  case  if  the  union  is  between  members  of 


47 


The  Hidden  Treasures  oj  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

the  opposite  sex.  The  reason  for  this  is  the 
difference  in  the  magnetisms  of  the  male  and 
female  bodies.  Every  atom  in  our  constitu- 
tion is  surrounded  by  a  magnetic  circle. 
This  magnetic  circle  consists  of  positive  and 
negative  particles,  balancing  each  other. 
The  mental  and  spiritual  particles  of  our 
higher  bodies  are  likewise  constituted.  Be- 
tween two  human  beings  of  the  opposite  sex 
— provided  their  mentalities  are  congenial 
— the  same  relation  exists  on  a  larger  scale. 
The  electric  elements  preponderating  in  the 
male  organism  are  balanced  by  the  mag- 
netic currents  of  the  female  body  and  the 
harmonious  exchange'  of  the  magnetisms 
thus  generated  is  the  cause  of  that  feeling 
of  exhilaration  and  joy  which  a  pure  com- 
panionship between  man  and  woman  in- 
variably produces.  So  much  so,  that  it 
often  seems  that  the  physical  bodies  have 
no  weight,  but  appear  to  float  along  without 
effort.  No  wonder  that  the  participants  in 
such  a  union  looked  forward  with  great 
delight  to  the  time  when  they  would  meet. 
The  old-fashioned  conception  of  life,  the 

48 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

prudery  and  restraint  in  the  social  inter- 
course of  men  and  women,  were  responsible 
for  a  great  deal  of  harm.  Untold  misery 
was  the  result  of  most  ,of  the  marriage- 
relationships,  because  the  partners  did  not 
know  each  other  sufficiently.  But  apart 
from  it,  the  most  innocent  contact  between 
the  sexes  was  looked  upon  askance  by  peo- 
ple whose  minds  have  not  been  pure  enough 
to  think  of  love  as  a  Divine  gift  that  can  be 
expressed  on  many  planes  much  higher  than 
the  physical.  Happily,  these  notions  are 
gradually  passing  away  and  man  and  wom- 
an can  sustain  friendly  relations  to  each 
other.  The  evil-minded  person,  who  thinks 
of  wrong  at  the  sight  of  what  is  God's  most 
perfect  gift  to  the  children  of  men,  that 
person  condemns  himself  because  the  evil 
he  sees  is  in  his  own  mind  only.  "To  the 
pure  all  things  are  pure."  To  return  to  our 
subject,  the  magnetisms  streaming  out  from 
the  auras  of  man  and  woman  are  differently 
constituted.  Through  their  interblending, 
positive  and  negative  life-elements  are  ob- 
tained. This  interblending  creates  life,  and 

49 


The  Hidden  Treasures  oj  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

life  is  not  a  material  substance,  but  a  spir- 
itual element,  highly  refined  and  potential 
with  great  possibilities  and  with  great 
power. 

Now  all  these  benefits  to  be  derived  from 
the  association  between  man  and  woman  are 
non-existent  for  those  who  have  not  yet  mas- 
tered their  passions  and  lower  emotions. 
People  who  live  on  the  lower  planes  of  life 
may  derive  a  certain  pleasure  according  to 
their  evolutionary  status,  but  this  is  not  what 
we  are  here  concerned  with.  The  aspirant 
striving  to  enter  the  temple  of  knowledge 
and  wishing  to  taste  of  the  heavenly  joys  of 
pure  and  undefiled  love  must  have  subdued 
his  desire  nature;  his  mind  must  be  like  a 
limpid  lake,  calm  and  tranquil,  on  the  sur- 
face of  which  not  a  ripple  is  to  be  seen. 

Having  accomplished  this  purification, 
man  and  woman  are  fit  to  be  spiritual  com- 
panions, but  not  otherwise.  That  it  is  worth 
while  to  go  through  this  ordeal  has  been 
testified  to  by  all  who  have  attained  unto 
the  goal.  There  is  a  love  which  few  have, 
known.  It  is  the  love  that  opens  the  soul's 

50 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

inner  portals  and  admits  our  spirit  into  the 
holy  of  holies,  the  sanctuary  of  the  pure 
soul.  There  the  glory  of  the  Divine  image 
is  restored,  and  nature  crowns  the  victor 
with  the  laurels  of  a  consummate  happiness, 
of  which  in  ordinary  life  there  is  naught  to 
serve  us  as  an  illustration. 

Wisdom,  the  ultimate  aim  of  life,  can 
only  be  acquired  if  the  law  has  been  ful- 
filled. The  fulfillment  of  the  law  implies 
that  we  have  had  our  share  of  all  experi- 
ences— if  some  of  them  are  missed  our 
education  is  incomplete.  Before  we  attain 
unto  final  liberation  we  must  ascend  the 
ladder  of  earthly  life  and  view  from  every 
rung  of  it  the  world  around  us.  It  is  this 
which  is  meant  when  we  are  told  "to  look 
intelligently  into  the  heart  of  men."  We 
must  learn  our  own  lessons,  even  the  highest, 
by  passing  through  the  full  gamut  of  the 
things  which  human  life  has  to  offer.  There 
are,  howevr,  two  ways  of  passing  it — the 
lawful  one  and  the  lawless  one. 

The  lawful  way  of  gaining  experience  on 
earth  is  the  partaking  of  all  it  has  to  offer 
01 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

under  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  and  only 
in  proportion  to  the  Spirit's  actual  needs. 
Lawlessness  steps  in  when  we  desire  for  the 
sake  of  desire  and  do  not  respect  the  Soul's 
protestations.  The  disciple  to  whom  desire 
is  only  a  means  of  gaining  knowledge  uses 
it  in  accordance  with  the  eternal  design 
which  called  it  forth.  On  whatever  plane 
desire  exists,  it  is  only  a  means  to  an  end 
for  him  and  he  does  not  allow  it  to  tarnish 
his  higher  nature,  or  to  create  within  him 
the  germ  of  attachment  to  any  form  or 
shape  of  it.  This  resignation  in  the  midst 
of  the  objects  of  desire  is  productive  of 
great  and  lasting  strength.  The  continual 
balancing  of  the  centrifugal  and  centripetal 
forces  of  spirit  generates  the  Divine  power 
of  overcoming  all  the  ailments  of  body  and 
soul  and  endows  us  with  the  supreme  virtue 
of  healing  all  manner  of  disease. 

The  spiritual  companionship  between  man 
and  woman  has  the  acquisition  of  this  power 
for  its  purpose.  Owing  to  her  experience  in 
past  lives,  woman's  interior  nature  is  more 
centered  in  love  than  man's  and  consequent- 

52 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

ly  she  supplies  the  necessary  welding  power 
to  hold  man's  psychical  and  spiritual  na- 
tures to  a  given  centre.  The  Divine  self 
though  ever  present  in  both  sexes  cannot 
appear  to  us,  unless  the  love  and  power  ele- 
ments are  blended  and  eternal  silence  has 
been  borne  in  the  soul. 

As  man  and  woman  grow  in  spiritual 
worth,  their  power  and  influence  for  good 
go  on  increasing  and  they  become  focal 
points  for  the  hosts  of  heaven  watching  over 
humanity.  Under  the  guidance  of  these 
guardians,  and,  while  doing  their  bidding 
and  cultivating  their  higher  nature,  man  and 
woman  grow  in  all  excellence. 

Those  treading  the  path  of  discipleship 
find  great  help  in  such  a  congenial  com- 
panionship. The  continuous  transmutation 
of  bodily  structure  is  attained  and  furthered 
through  such  soul  communion;  and  through 
the  mental  activity  consequent  upon  it,  the 
body  is  changed  cell  by  cell.  This  trans- 
mutation is  the  same  as  the  alchemic  process 
by  which  food  and  drink  and  breath  are 
changed  into  blood,  from  blood  into  aerial 

53 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabdah 

fluid  and  then  into  etheric  or  mental  sub- 
stance. Then  the  ego  touches  it  by  its  own 
vibrations  and  it  becomes  more  etherealized 
into  soul  or  auraic  essence. 

Every  conscious  effort  we  make  to  uplift 
and  refine  the  physical  body  is  a  step  to- 
wards the  quickening  of  our  spiritual  facul- 
ties, the  deepening  of  our  insight  and  the 
increase  in  wisdom  and  understanding.  The 
process  of  life  is  a  continuous  chain  of  sub- 
limation and  refinement. 

Beginning  with  the  lowest  and  crudest 
forms  of  matter  right  up  to  the  highest  ex- 
pression of  life,  everything  is  undergoing 
evolution  and  transformation.  Speaking  of 
matter,  we  are  thinking  of  tangible  material 
such  as  we  can  see  or  touch  or  recognize  by 
the  physical  senses,  but  air  is  matter  and  we 
live  completely  immersed  in  it  and  in  other 
airs,  that  is  to  say,  finer  elements  than  the 
one  we  call  air.  In  these  tenuous  regions 
our  evolution  is  going  on  while  we  are  un- 
aware of  it.  But  all  the  same  is  the  sub- 
stance of  those  planes  subject  to  the  uni- 
versal law  of  transmutation.  We  are,  as  it 
were,  unconscious  agents  of  nature  on  those 

54 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

planes,  and  she  uses  us  to  effect  her  designs 
everywhere. 

The  higher  virtues  of  love  and  devotion 
subserve  this  purpose  of  refinement  on  the 
higher  planes.  You  often  heard  it  stated 
by  our  great  teachers  that  the  sentiment  of 
love  purifies  the  emotional  body;  so  does 
the  sentiment  of  devotion.  It  virtually  then 
comes  to  it  that,  even  when  we  think  that 
we  are  acting  in  a  most  spontaneous  way, 
bestowing  our  love  upon  the  object  of  our 
affection,  or  offering  our  devotion  to  our 
ideal,  even  then  we  are  only  instruments  of 
nature  who  works  through  us  like  a  clever 
craftsman  in  the  execution  of  his  plans. 

At  the  same  time,  we  must  bear  in  mind 
that  when  we  are  used  as  agents  on  those 
higher  planes,  it  is  well  with  us  because  we 
are  then  free  from  the  lower  forms  of 
Karma  to  which  those  on  the  material  plane 
of  life  are  still  subject.  This  is  one  of  the 
benefits  of  spiritual  companionship;  it  ad- 
vances us  by  planting  within  us  the  seeds 
of  love  and  veneration  and  turning  the  emo- 
tional and  passional  forces  of  our  nature 

65 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

towards  the  inmost  and  the  highest,  thus 
giving  us  a  foretaste  of  the  pure  and  selfless 
Divine  love  which  we  shall  some  day  realize 
on  the  higher  ranges  of  cosmic  life. 

To  conclude,  let  us  review  the  main  ben- 
efits derivable  from  the  association  of  man 
and  woman  in  a  pure  spiritual  companion- 
ship. First,  the  relation  must  be  established 
between  people  of  congenial  natures;  they 
must  love  the  same  things  and  be  devoted 
to  the  same  ideal ;  the  more  such  ideals  they 
have  in  common,  the  better  for  them,  for 
their  ties  are  strengthened  thereby. 

Second  in  importance,  but  not  to  be  un- 
derestimated, is  the  physical  constitution  of 
those;  associating.  Some  people  think  they 
can  slight  this  aspect  but  it  is  not  so.  Though 
true  sympathy  is  of  an  interior  nature,  it 
must  not  be  forgotten  that  our  senses  are 
avenues  to  the  spirit  and  things  that  are  to 
commend  themselves  to  the  Spirit  must  be 
pleasing  and  acceptable  to  its  sentinels  out- 
side, which  we  call  our  senses. 

Perfect  sympathy  can  only  subsist  be- 
tween partners  whose  bodily  constitutions 

56 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

only  introduce  true  harmony  into  their  re- 
lationship. Where  the  slightest  repulsion 
exists,  owing  to  external  antipathy,  the  bond 
of  union  must  needs  be  weakened.  If 
harmony  has  been  established  on  the  phys- 
ical, mental  and  spiritual  planes,  and  the 
purpose  of  the  given  association  is  to  serve 
the  highest  which  both  partners  cognize, 
then  Divine  revelation  comes  to  them  and 
enlightens  them  in  all  things.  It  is  the 
Voice  of  God  in  the  garden  telling  how  to 
crown  the  sanctified  life  with  beauty  and 
joy  and  how  to  make  it  a  milestone  for  the 
wayfarers  of  succeeding  generations. 

Star  to  star  vibrates  light,  why  not  soul 
to  soul?  If  the  purpose  of  life  is  beneficent, 
as  we  know  it  is,  is  it  not  the  duty  of  each 
being  to  serve  as  a  channel  for  the  spread 
of  light  and  the  increase  of  joy?  When  two 
human  beings  are  united  for  this  object  on 
earth,  the  angelic  hosts  on  high  bless  their 
union  and  take  them  into  their  charge.  They 
are  led  through  the  highways  and  byways 
of  life  and  shown  the  untold  misery  and 
suffering  calling  for  aid  and  comfort.  Look- 

57 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalak 

ing  round  them,  they  learn  how  to  love 
those  who  know  not  what  love  is,  how  to 
pity,  how  to  help  and  how  to  grow  God-like. 
Thus  strengthened  by  their  own  devotion  to 
each  other,  they  pass  along  on  their  mission 
of  mercy,  pouring  out  their  benedictions 
upon  the  needy  and  distressed  with  whom 
their  Karma  brings  them  in  contact.  Their 
own  pure  personal  love  has  taught  them 
love  Divine  which  is  purer  still. 

Having  profited  by  their  association  in 
body,  mind  and  soul,  they  now  work  on  the 
plane  of  spirit,  as  servants  of  the  most  high 
God.  Truly  blessed  is  the  portion  of  such, 
for  they  have  found  favor  above  all  other 
mortals,  and,  even  when  all  things  of  earth 
shall  pass  away,  their  loving  deeds  will  live. 
For  such  there  is  no  fear  of  death,  for, 
having  fulfilled  the  cycle  of  their  destiny  on 
earth,  they  will  continue  their  labors  of 
love  in  the  regions  beyond,  in  the  gracious 
presence  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  of  whom  we 
are  told  that  "His  mercies  endure  forever 
and  his  compassions  never  fail." 


58 


The  Knowledge  of  God  Obtainable 

Through  Love  Pure  and 

Undefiled 


A  picket  frozen  on  his  duty, 

A  mother  starved  for  her  brood, 
Socrates  drinking  the  Hemlock, 

And  Jesus  on  the  Rood. 
And  the  millions  who,  humble  and  nameless, 

The  narrow  pathway  of  duty  have  trod; 
Some  call  it  consecration, 

While  others  call  it  God. 


60 


IV. 

THE    KNOWLEDGE    OF    GOD    OBTAINABLE 

THROUGH    LOVE    PURE    AND 

UNDEFILED 

The  vague  notions  still  prevailing  among 
leaders  of  thought  as  to  what  constitutes  the 
summum  bonum,  the  highest  happiness,  are 
responsible  for  most  of  the  chaos  of  our 
social  life  and  our  systems  of  education. 
As  long  as  we  are  not  quite  certain  as  to 
what  the  goal  of  humanity  really  is,  we 
cannot  possibly  order  our  lives  to  the  best 
advantage.  Man's  chief  glory  is  the  faculty 
whereby  he  knows.  As  long  as  material 
conditions  constrain  him  to  spend  the  great- 
er part  of  his  life  in  manual  labor,  he  can- 
not of  course  devote  much  time  to  the  culti- 
vation of  his  intellect ;  but,  since  the  advent 
of  scientific  devices  for  labor-saving,  hu- 
manity has  been  in  a  better  position  to  care 
for  the  intellectual  upliftment  of  the  masses. 
The  Higher  Education  has  been  increasing, 

61 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

art  and  literature  are  flourishing  and  every 
one,  no  matter  how  humble  he  be,  seems  to 
be  anxious  for  knowledge  and  eager  for 
culture.  With  the  progress  of  the  sciences, 
however,  the  problem  arose  how  to  utilize 
their  application  so  that  it  might  result  in 
the  greatest  happiness  for  the  greatest  num- 
ber. This  is  indeed  a  mighty  problem, 
worthy  of  the  attention  of  the  best  and 
bravest  of  men.  How  can  we  use  these  God- 
given  gifts  of  inventors  and  their  discover- 
ies, so  that  they  may  not  result  in  multi- 
plying human  misery  but  rather  in  its 
reduction  and  final  elimination?  The  an- 
swer has  not  yet  been  found  so  far  as  prac- 
tical life  is  concerned.  We  still  use  our 
best  energies  and  the  most  clever  intellects 
to  manufacture  implements  of  war  and  to 
organize  bodies  of  men  against  one  another. 
Our  economical  conditions  too  are  in  a  state 
of  perpetual  disorder.  Each  man  is  for 
himself;  millions  are  perishing  annually 
for  lack  of  the  very  necessaries  of  life,  and 
few  of  us  seem  to  care.  There  is  plenty 
of  food  and  an  abundance  of  everything 

62 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

to  make  life  comfortable,  but  the  good  will 
seems  to  be  lacking  to  make  all  these  good 
things  subserve  their  proper  purpose,  name- 
ly, the  welfare  of  all. 

As  man  masters  nature  and  frees  himself 
from  her  tyranny,  the  need  for  utilizing  all 
her  forces  to  increase  the  sum  total  of  hu- 
man happiness  dawns  upon  him.  He  real- 
izes the  vanity  of  all  things  which  narrow 
his  horizon  and  the  poverty  of  even  the 
greatest  of  pleasures  if  they  serve  only  the 
petty  self.  In  this  age  and  generation,  the 
waves  of  social  sympathy  rise  very  high 
and,  amidst  the  indifference  of  the  rich  and 
mighty  ones,  many  a  man  says  to  himself, 
"I  am  my  brother's  keeper;  his  troubles  are 
mine,  and  I  am  responsible  for  his  well- 
being."  The  public  institutions  we  possess, 
all  the  social  arrangements  for  the  welfare 
of  the  poor  and  helpless  ones,  who  have 
fallen  by  the  wayside,  are  due  to  the  efforts 
of  those  chosen  ones  who  have  realized  the 
seriousness  of  life,  and,  wishing  to  make 
the  best  of  it,  are  devoting  their  possessions 
and  their  energies  to  ameliorate  the  condi- 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

tions  of  the  oppressed  and  downtrodden 
ones  so  as  to  bring  a  little  of  the  sweetness 
and  light  of  civilization  into  the  aching 
hearts  of  the  eternally  disinherited.  But 
man  does  not  live  by  bread  alone,  and  his 
need  of  spiritual  and  intellectual  susten- 
ance is  just  as  great  and  as  pressing  as  that 
of  physical  nourishment.  The  strongest  de- 
sire of  man  is  to  know.  He  wants  to  know 
the  world  in  which  he  lives,  the  body  he 
calls  his  own,  the  soul  he  believes  inspires 
him  and  the  God  from  whom  she  comes. 
All  these  things  man  wants  to  know,  and 
the  more  time  advances  towards  the  end 
of  the  cycle,  the  greater  grows  his  eager- 
ness for  that  knowledge. 

After  securing  the  comforts  of  life  and 
ease  and  leisure,  man  hungers  for  mental 
and  spiritual  satisfaction.  Of  all  the  de- 
fects of  the  present  organization  of  society 
and  of  the  cruelties  consequent  upon  it, 
none  is  so  fatal  to  the  welfare  of  man  as 
the  denial  of  knowledge  to  the  enquiring 
mind  and  of  the  chance  of  culture  to  the 
aspiring  soul.  The  absence  of  these  oppor- 

84 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

tunities  is  the  most  blighting  factor  of  the 
competitive  system,  because  it  deprives  man 
of  his  natural  and  legitimate  right  to  ac- 
quire all  the  knowledge  he  can  about  him- 
self and  his  environment.  The  greatest 
privileges  of  man  being  his  capacity  to 
know,  anything  that  denies  to  him  the  exer- 
cise of  this  faculty  is  an  unmitigated  evil. 
But  it  is  not  only  knowledge  of  material 
tilings  which  the  mind  craves;  the  desire  to 
know  comprehends  things  unseen  as  well. 
The  soul  of  man  yeams  for  nothing  more 
deeply  than  for  the  knowledge  of  God.  The 
vistas  of  knowledge  are  infinite,  but  not 
even  the  highest  can  satisfy  the  heart  of 
man.  It  is  only  in  the  knowledge  of  God 
that  man  can  find  lasting  peace.  "It  is 
possible  to  know  God,"  says  an  occult 
writer,  but  it  is  not  easy  to  acquire  that 
knowledge.  The  Rosicrucians  used  to  say, 
"In  order  to  know  God  one  must  be  God," 
which  means  that  we  must  transcend  our- 
selves altogether,  and  reach  out  to  the  sub- 
lime heights  of  the  Eternal.  Unknown  to 
the  indifferent  and  slothful,  God  reveals 


65 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

himself  to  the  searching  heart  and  rewards 
its  persistent  labors  and  earnest  seeking  by 
the  supreme  gift  of  the  knowledge  of 
Himself. 

"To  know  God  is  life  eternal,"  says  the 
apostle;  the  two  are  identical.  For  in  ordi- 
nary life  our  perspective  is  limited  to  this 
mundane  plane,  and  we  can  only  know  by 
means  of  the  lower  mind,  but,  when  our 
intuition  takes  the  place  of  reason,  and 
illumination  that  of  speculation,  we  know, 
even  as  we  are  known. 

Here  is  a  Heavenly  promise  to  man: 
"Those  who  seek  me,  shall  find  me,  if  they 
seek  me  with  all  their  heart  and  all  their 
soul."  The  trend  of  modern  life  is  towards 
the  spiritual  side  of  things.  Science  and 
philosophy  are  both  engaged  in  paving  the 
way  to  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with 
things  spiritual.  Man  as  a  unit,  and  as  a 
member  of  the  collective  body  of  the  human 
race,  seeks  for  God  in  everything  he  does, 
but  he  does  not  always  seek  Him  rightly, 
which  is  the  reason  of  his  partial  success; 
but  the  tendency  of  human  endeavor  is 

66 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

growing  more  and  more  towards  the  spir- 
itual. In  all  departments  of  life  men  begin 
to  realize  the  need  for  a  readjustment  of 
values  and  for  the  subordination  of  the 
material  side  of  life  to  the  ideal  one.  This 
leads  to  numerous  improvements  in  the 
methods  of  labor  and  to  social  reconstruc- 
tion. 

The  love  of  God,  being  the  crown  of  the 
inner  life,  is  thus  expressed  in  practical  life 
in  the  service  of  man.  That  passion,  which 
formerly  made  for  acquisition,  is  now  un- 
der the  influence  of  growing  knowledge 
transmuted  into  the  passion  for  doing  good. 

Ambition  having  fulfilled  its  purpose  in 
former  cycles,  when  infant  humanity 
wanted  it  as  a  spur  to  exertion  and  action,  is 
now  stepping  into  the  background  and  her 
place  is  taken  by  man's  desire  to  serve  and 
to  be  useful.  "God's  own  synonym  is  use," 
says  a  wise  proverb,  and,  as  we  were  made 
in  the  image  and  likeness  of  God,  it  be- 
hooves us,  also,  to  be  of  use;  only  thus  do 
we  grow  Godlike. 

The  knowledge  of  God  is  best  acquired 

87 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

by  the  practical  expression  of  the  Divine 
attributes  in  actual  life.  It  is  the  loving 
service  we  render  wherever  it  is  called  for, 
which  endows  us  with  these  attributes.  Love, 
pure  and  undefiled,  expressed  in  practical 
every-day  life  is  God's  own  activity  per- 
formed by  His  deputies  in  human  form  on 
earth. 

There  are  two  paths  of  union  with  God, 
according  to  the  mystics  of  old ;  the  path  of 
Knowledge  and  the  path  of  Love.  Those 
who  unite  themselves  to  God  by  knowledge 
will  sooner  or  later  see  the  need  of  love  to 
strengthen  the  bond  of  union,  while  those 
whose  lives  are  full  of  devotion  must  sup- 
plement their ,  endeavors  by  searching  and 
seeking  after  the  deeper  mysteries  of  God- 
hood  revealed  by  knowledge.  The  ancient 
Sages,  the  great  Masters  of  the  Inner  Wis- 
dom, taught  that  the  knowledge  of  God, 
when  obtained,  makes  of  mortal  man  an  im- 
mortal. The  pure  love  which  helped  the  ac- 
quisition of  that  knowledge  while  the 
disciple  was  treading  the  Path,  provides 
him  with  his  glorious  garments  when  he 

08 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabdah 

arrives  at  his  destination.  These  garments 
are  woven  of  good  deeds  done,  and  of  noble 
causes  helped  during  the  earthly  life;  on 
the  heavenly  planes  their  memory  becomes 
the  germinating  seed  for  deeds  of  mercy  to 
be  done  in  future  lives.  The  path  of  beauty 
and  joy,  the  path  of  peace  and  bliss,  con- 
verge at  the  same  point.  From  all  sides  do 
the  wanderers  arrive,  but  the  object  of  their 
pilgrimage  is  the  same.  It  is  the  temple  of 
wisdom  from  whence  light  streameth  out  in 
all  directions.  Humanity  has  to  battle 
through  the  iron  age  with  all  the  horrors  in- 
cidental to  it,  before  man  attains  unto  his 
spiritual  consciousness.  While  the  battle 
lasts,  every  effort  counts  and  every  single 
step  taken  by  the  individual  pioneers  brings 
mankind  nearer  to  the  portals  of  the  sanctu- 
ary in  which  all  mysteries  will  be  solved 
and  all  tears  will  be  dried.  There  man  will 
learn  to  understand  the  secret  of  his  voyage 
through  the  cycles  of  time,  and  the  purpose 
of  his  sojourn  on  earth.  Until  that  time 
arrives  all  our  work  is  only  preparatory. 

89 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

To  utilize  the  fleeting  moments,  to  obey 
the  Spirits'  guidance,  to  detach  ourselves 
from  all  that  drags  us  down  and  to  join 
forces  with  all  that  lifts  us  upward,  that  is 
our  task  for  the  present.  The  knowledge  of 
God  is  obtainable  and  will  be  ours,  but  the 
only  way  we  can  attain  unto  it  is  by  the 
constant  practice  of  charity  in  thought, 
word  and  deed,  and  by  the  expression  of 
love  pure  and  undefiled. 


TO 


The  Mystery  of  Time  and 
Space 


n 


0,  sometimes  comes  to  soul  and  sense 
The  feeling  which  is  evidence 
That  very  near  about  us  lies 
The  realm  of  Spirit  mysteries. 

— Whittier. 


n 


V. 

THE   MYSTERY   OF   TIME   AND    SPACE 

Time  and  space  are  the  fundamental  con- 
ceptions which  form  the  warp  and  woof  of 
our  thought.  We  cannot  think  of  anything 
except  it  is,  was  or  is  to  be,  and  yet,  in 
their  very  essence,  time  and  space  are  the 
most  elusive  of  problems  and  can  never  be 
grasped  by  the  mind  of  man.  What  is  time? 
What  is  space?  What  existed  before  time 
began,  and  what  will  remain  when  time  is 
no  more?  What  does  space  mean?  Is  it  a 
homogenous  substance  of  one  kind?  or  is  it 
heterogeneous  and  formed  of  a  variety  of 
elements?  Where  does  space  cease  to  be? 
What  is  there  where  space  is  not?  Now 
these  are  a  few  questions  very  interesting 
indeed  and  pregnant  with  thought.  We 
may  not  succeed  in  finding  a  final  solution 
to  the  lot  of  them,  but  we  may  perchance 
succeed  in  contributing  a  mite  towards  a 

73 


The  Hidden  Treasures  oj  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

better  understanding  of  them. 

Science,  the  interpreter  of  the  laws  of 
nature  and  of  the  principles  underlying 
them,  cannot  help  us  in  our  search  to  solve 
the  mystery  of  time  and  space.  The  proper 
domain  of  Science  is  the  physical  universe. 

This  modern  archangel  (science)  has  no 
wings.  An  invincible  giant,  when  her  feet 
touch  the  earth,  her  marvelous  power,  her 
initiative,  wisdom  and  penetrating  intelli- 
gence are  all  gone  the  moment  she  rises 
above  the  soil,  and,  though  it  be  only  a  few 
inches,  upon  this  battlefield  she  is  overcome 
at  once — faint  and  almost  inanimate  in  an 
unequal  battle  because  she  could  not  read- 
just her  energies  to  new  conditions.  At 
present  science  is  a  child  of  earth  and  waits 
for  her  redeemer,  through  whom  she  will  be 
born  again  a  child  from  heaven. 

In  the  matter  of  positive  investigations, 
science  has  no  equal;  she  is  almost  infall- 
ible, but  she  is  at  once  rendered  powerless 
when  confronted  by  a  problem  of  the  spirit- 
ual order,  or  even  when  it  concerns  a — so 


74 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

to  say — mixed  problem  (such  as  the  genesis 
of  matter  or  the  abnormal  organic  growths 
of  animals  or  plants)  science  is  silent,  or 
perhaps  just  stammers. 

Now  that  which  the  seemingly  almighty 
scientific  mind  cannot  accomplish  by  its 
own  unaided  efforts,  the  spiritually  awak- 
ened soul  can,  and  often  does,  accomplish. 
Time  and  space  do  not  exist  for  the  soul  of 
man.  The  mystery  which  they  constitute  to 
the  earthly  mind  is  non-existent  to  the  en- 
lightened spirit.  Time,  or  the  succession  of 
events  pertain  to  things  material.  On  the 
spiritual  planes  we  live  in  feeling  and 
thought,  and  it  is  the  feebleness  or  strength 
of  these  which  determines  the  quality  of 
our  life  on  those  planes,  and  distinguishes 
one  being  from  another.  Space  again  is 
equally  illusory  to  the  soul.  Spirit  is  not 
separated  from  spirit  by  distance,  but  by 
discord  of  nature,  and  on  the  other  hand 
spirit  is  not  united  to  spirit  except  by  the 
affinity  subsisting  between  them.  We  can 
be  thousands  of  miles  away  from  our  loved 
ones  but  we  do  not  get  estranged  from  them 

75 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

thereby,  whereas  we  may  be  very  close  in 
space  to  one  wishing  us  ill,  and  the  fact  of 
spatial  proximity  will  not  bring  our  souls 
nearer  to  each  other.  The  eternity  of  time 
and  the  infinity  of  space  can  be  viewed  and 
grasped  by  those  beings  only  whose  minds 
have  learned  to  function  beyond  those  con- 
cepts. Just  like  the  law  of  Karma  which 
must  be  transcended  in  order  to  be  under- 
stood, so  must  the  limits  of  time  and  space 
be  got  rid  of  by  the  spiritualization  of  our 
thought  before  we  can  grasp  their  mean- 
ing. To  incarnate  humanity,  dependent  in 
a  thousand  different  ways  upon  material 
conditions,  time  and  space  are  necessary 
conceptions;  without  them  there  would  be 
chaos  in  our  minds.  But  for  the  liberated 
soul,  even  on  the  earth  plane,  time  and 
space  can  be  relegated  to  the  limbo  of  things 
superfluous. 

When  man  once  makes  up  his  mind  to 
live  the  higher  life  and  to  think  of  every 
experience  as  related  to  the  spirit  and  either 
helpful  or  hurtful  to  it,  then  time  and  space 
will  matter  little  to  him.  His  motive  and 

76 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

his  action  and  the  spirit  that  prompts  them 
are  all  that  he  cares  for,  from  the  moment 
of  his.  surrender. 

The  dignity  and  meaning  of  our  lives  do 
not  depend  upon  the  years  we  have  lived, 
nor  does  the  height  of  our  spiritual  stature 
bear  any  relation  to  our  physical  dimension 
in  space.  It  is  only  the  things  which  make 
for  growth  in  perfection  that  really  do 
count. 

And,  on  the  other  hand,  only  those  events 
injure  us  which  weaken  our  faith  and  ob- 
scure the  larger  hope.  The  education  and 
spiritualization  of  our  will  being  the  im- 
mediate object  of  our  terrestial  existence, 
time  and  space  signify  to  us  only  as  much 
as  they  serve  that  object.  The  only  other 
purpose  which  time  and  space  serve  is  the 
lessening  of  the  evils  inherent  in  the  lower 
life  of  the  race. 

The  evils  from  which  humanity  suffers 
are  not  eternal,  but  confined  to  the  limits  of 
time.  They  diminish  and  their  intensity 
decreases  in  the  same  proportion  as  human- 
ity expands  its  life  both  in  space  and  in 

77 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

time.  The  end  of  all  those  evils  will  be 
their  ultimate  disappearance  by  being  re- 
duced to  what  geometry  call  the  "infinitely 
little."  It  will  happen  in  the  same  way — to 
use  a  simple  illustration — as  would  be  the 
case  if  a  pound  of  salt  were  thrown  into  a 
bucketful  of  water;  it  would  strongly  salt 
it,  while,  if  it  were  thrown  into  a  cistern,  it 
would  only  very  slightly  do  so.  In  a  pond, 
its  taste  would  hardly  be  noticeable,  and  ab- 
solutely nothing  would  remain  of  its  effect 
if  it  were  thrown  into  a  river.  Humanity's 
evils,  too,  will  disappear  in  the  infinity  of 
space  and  the  eternity  of  time. 

Time  and  space  are  the  remedies  which 
can  cure  the  evils  afflicting  mankind.  These 
evils  would  be  incurable  had  Adam  (the 
universal  man,  or  group  soul)  preserved  its 
life  unchangeably.  He  had  to  be  divided  in 
space,  in  order  to  be  healed  and  for  the  sake 
of  his  reduction  and  division  ad  infinitum 
by  means  of  time;  whenever  this  division  is 
accomplished  time  will  come  to  an  end,  and 
divisible  space  will  disappear.  Then  will 
Adam  (the  universal  life)  return  to  its 

78 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

primitive  state  of  an  indivisible  and  immor- 
tal unity. 

Death  is  only  a  phenomenal  change,  and 
of  no  more  consequence  to  man  than  the 
other  changes  he  has  to  undergo  in  the 
course  of  his  evolution.  It  simply  trans- 
mutes the  human  being  from  the  state  of 
visible  nature  into  that  of  formless  and  in- 
visible substance,  just  like  birth  manifests 
what  was  formerly  in  a  state  of  substance, 
on  the  plans  of  visible  nature. 

The  old  Kabbalists  used  to  express  it  in 
a  like  manner:  "There  is  no  birth,  nor 
death,  only  continual  change  and  transfor- 
mation from  state  to  state.  This  makes  up 
the  being  and  existence  of  all  the  kingdoms, 
mineral,  vegetable,  animal  and  human." 

So  time  and  space  fulfill  their  mission  by 
curing  the  evils  from  which  mankind  must 
needs  suffer  in  its  early  stages  of  evolution 
and  by  providing  the  race  with  the  means 
of  redemption  from  all  that  is  base  and  un- 
worthy. 

Having  freed  himself  from  the  limita- 
tions of  time  and  space,  man  realizes  that 

79 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

he  is  a  citizen  of  this  grand  cosmos  and  that 
his  rights  and  privileges,  as  an  immortal 
and  eternally  progressive  being,  cannot  be 
gainsaid.  In  the  infinity  of  the  universe 
man  feels  for  the  first  time  at  home.  He 
never  again  fears  spiritual  extinction,  for 
his  deathless  soul  ensures  for  him  life  ever- 
lasting. If  man  identifies  himself  with  na- 
ture, he  has  to  be  transformed  by  her,  if, 
with  the  Spirit,  he  is  redeemed  by  God. 

There  is  no  death  anywhere,  except  the 
unconsciousness  of  God's  presence.  To  ac- 
quire an  abiding  consciousness  of  God's 
presence  means  to  have  transcended  both 
time  and  space,  to  live  in  the  spirit  and  to 
prepare  one's  self  for  service  in  the  higher 
worlds  and  vaster  systems,  where  there  is 
neither  time  nor  space,  but  where  the  Divine 
Spirit  grows  in  all  excellence  and  perfec- 
tion. 

To  the  world  at  large  these  things  sound 
strange,  but  to  the  children  of  light,  whose 
affections  are  set  on  things  above,  a  glimpse 
comes  now  and  then  of  the  glories  awaiting 
the  man  who  has  overcome. 


80 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

The  process  of  overcoming  is  an  individ- 
ual one  and  can  only  be  known  by  the  soul 
that  experiences  it.  The  words  of  the 
prophet  remain  forever  true,  "and  to  him 
that  overcometh  I  will  give  to  eat  of  the 
hidden  Mannah,  and  a  white  stone  will  I 
give  him,  and  on  it  shall  be  written  a  new 
name  which  no  one  knoweth  save  him  who 
receiveth  it." 


The  Peace  That  Passeth 
Understanding 


88 


For  only  they  who  in  full  completeness 
Have  drained  life's  wine  to  its  very  lees, 

With  all  its  bitterness  and  all  its  sweetness 
Can  joy  completely  in  God's  great  peace. 

— Hawthorne. 


84 


VI. 


THE  PEACE  THAT  PASSETH  UNDER- 
STANDING 

Saint  Augustin  was  one  of  those  few 
Church  Fathers  gifted  with  the  true  vision. 
One  of  his  beautiful  sayings  is  to  the  effect 
that  "Our  hearts  shall  ever  be  restless  until 
they  find  rest  in  God."  In  the  course  of  our 
journey  through  life  we  try  to  assuage  our 
pain  by  many  things.  We  plunge  into  work 
and  think  that  will  make  us  forget  the  drear- 
iness of  our  existence,  but,  failing  to  find 
satisfaction  in  work,  we  try  pleasure,  and 
naturally  that,  too,  is  disappointing — even 
more  so.  And  so  again  we  try  mental  cul- 
ture, but  with  no  greater  success,  and  then 
we  despair  and  begin  to  wonder  whether 
there  are  such  things  as  peace  and  content- 
ment to  be  found  in  this  valley  of  tears  we 
call  earth.  Despair  is  generally  a  forerun- 
ner of  better  things,  and  when  a  man  is  good 

85 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalak 

enough  to  despair  of  himself,  it  shows  there 
is  still  something  left  in  him  worth  tribula- 
tion. This  something  begins  to  show  its 
vitality  when  it  alone,  of  all  things,  has  been 
left.  Tolstoy  says  that  man's  worth  to  the 
community  where  he  lives  and  to  the  world 
in  general,  dates  from  the  day  on  which  he 
knows  himself  to  be  worthless — when  he 
loses  all,  he  gains  all.  To  the  seekers  of 
peace  something  similar  happens.  Peace  is 
a  plant  which  grows  in  the  desert  of  our 
inner  nature  only.  When  everything  has 
become  like  a  desert,  when  everything  has 
been  dried  up,  even  our  tears,  when  we  can 
no  longer  cry,  and  the  very  flower  of  life 
has  faded,  then  Peace  germinates  in  the 
parched  soil  of  the  desolate  heart;  and,  just 
like  the  fair  flowers  in  the  garden,  our  lives 
begin  to  emanate  their  sweetest  fragrance 
when  we  are  bruised  and  wilted  and  alto- 
gether trodden  down.  This  applies  to  the 
occult  life  especially;  the  occult  life — the 
one  we  have  to  live  in  this  world,  sur- 
rounded by  its  hardships  and  cares.  Our 
every  relation  to  people  and  environment 

86 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

is  indicative  of  our  occult  status.  The  cir- 
cumstances are  our  teachers  and,  if  we  do 
not  learn  from  them,  our  life  has  been  lived 
in  vain. 

Just  look  at  the  rose,  and  its  form  and 
color,  the  fine  lovely  texture  of  its  petals  and 
its  sweet  aroma.  It  is  only  because  the  sweet 
spirit  that  animates  it  knew  how  to  adapt  it- 
self to  its  environment  and  to  attract  all  that 
was  needful  for  its  growth  and  perfection, 
that  the  rose  became  what  it  is.  The  same 
law  holds  good  on  the  human  plane.  Let 
us  be  like  the  spirit  of  the  rose  and  we,  too, 
shall  dispense  the  benediction  of  our  quali- 
ties to  all  that  pass  by.  Those  who  seek 
peace  must  vibrate  it  themselves.  But  peace 
cannot  be  found  before  its  time,  for  it  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  for  long  periods  dur- 
ing our  evolution  strife  and  stress  are  neces- 
sary. When,  however,  the  time  arrives  for 
the  soul  of  man  to  rest  from  her  toils,  there 
enters  the  heart  a  kind  of  rhythm  which  we 
call  peace. 

Peace  is  to  the  heart  what  rhythm  is  to 
matter;  even  in  the  physical  organism,  a 

87 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

kind  of  rhythmic  peace  must  obtain.  The 
soul's  atoms  are  mingled  with  other  lower 
atoms,  but  never  combined.  An  illustration 
from  chemistry  will  help  us  to  understand 
this  clearly: 

Oxygen  in  pure  air  is  mixed,  but  not 
combined,  with  nitrogen.  When  these  two 
gases  are  combined,  according  to  their  pro- 
portions, the  result  is  a  deadly  poison.  This 
is  exactly  the  internal  process.  When  the 
atoms  of  the  various  parts  are  mingled 
harmoniously,  the  result  is  physical  and 
spiritual  well-being;  when  discord  ruptures 
the  rhythm  of  their  vibrations  and  their 
harmonious  balance,  disintegration  sets  in 
and  disease  results. 

If  matter  moves  rhythmically,  it  is  pleas- 
ing to  our  eyes,  and  our  feeling  on  behold- 
ing it  is  a  restful  one.  In  the  heart  of  man 
peace  fulfills  the  same  functions.  Without  it 
nothing  of  worth  can  be  accomplished  by 
man;  while  to  the  peaceful  soul  all  things 
are  possible. 

The  mistake  modern  intellectual  sm 
makes  is  in  believing  that  the  brain  is  the 

88 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

real  agent  in  all  important  work ;  the  serious 
observer  of  life  knows  this  to  be  a  fallacy. 
The  brain  is  not  the  important  part  of  the 
house  in  which  man  resides.  The  centre 
of  life  is  the  heart,  and,  if  consciousness 
does  not  take  its  residence  in  the  centre  of 
life,  it  will  become  separate  from  life  and 
cease  to  be.  Those  who  desire  to  develop 
spiritually  must  think  with  their  hearts. 

Man  is  a  constellation  of  powers  in  which 
all  kinds  of  seeds  are  contained.  The  heart 
is  the  seat  of  the  central  power  from  which 
all  the  others  derive  their  vitality  and  in- 
spiration. That  they  may  live  and  function 
properly,  the  central  power  must  be  at 
peace  with  itself  and  with  each  one  of  them. 
When  this  is  the  case,  peace  reigns  supreme 
and  registers  itself  in  the  countenance  by  an 
attractive  angelic  radiance.  Kindliness  and 
peacefulness  always  produce  beauty  and 
give  the  face  a  touch  of  heaven,  for  beauty 
is  the  light  of  the  soul  reflected  in  the  forms 
of  matter. 

All  of  us  have  at  one  time  or  another  met 
people  who  were  a  perpetual  mystery  to  us, 

89 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

owing  to  their  constant  and  changeless  calm. 
Nothing  seemed  to  ruffle  them;  they  took 
everything  just  as  it  happened,  and  every- 
body just  as  he  was.  They  seemed  to  desire 
no  change  and  no  variation  of  anything. 
They  were  the  people  who  have  discovered 
the  secret  of  peace.  As  long  as  "man's  in- 
humanity to  man  makes  countless  millions 
mourn,"  that  peace  is  beyond  attainment  for 
the  majority  of  the  race.  When  the  Sun  of 
righteousness  arises  some  day  and  man  real- 
izes the  unity  of  all  that  lives  and  breathes, 
peace  will  be  his.  At  present  it  must  be 
won  by  a  prayer  of  the  individual  soul,  who 
feels  sorely  in  need  of  it.  There  are  thou- 
sands of  such  souls  everywhere,  and  to  them 
the  message  from  on  High  has  come  down, 
"Call  upon  me  and  I  will  answer  thee,  and 
I  will  show  thee  great  and  mighty  things, 
and  I  will  heal  thee  and  give  thee  an  abun- 
dance of  truth  and  peace." 

True  prayer  has  a  scientific  basis;  its 
effect  is  as  certain  as  that  of  any  other  cause 
in  nature.  Let  us  pray  for  peace  and  we 
shall  obtain  it,  even  in  the  midst  of  stress 

90 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

and  storm.  When  it  enters  our  hearts,  we 
shall  know  it  by  the  feeling  of  reconcilia- 
tion with  which  it  will  suffuse  our  whole 
being.  After  that  we  shall  rebel  against 
nothing.  For  God  is  enough,  and  his  abid- 
ing presence  in  the  soul  of  man  makes  her 
desire  naught  else. 

Thus  in  the  silence  which  follows  the 
storm  the  precious  jewel  is  found.  At  last 
the  harassed  soul  is  at  rest  and,  self-con- 
tained, wishes  for  nothing  outside  herself. 
She  has  found  the  peace  of  God,  the  peace 
which  the  world  cannot  give,  neither  can  it 
take  it  away;  the  peace  which  passeth  all 
understanding. 


Justice  and  Jfarcy 


Justice  and  Mercy 

And  enter  not  into  judgment  with  us, 
for  in  thy  sight  no  living  man  shall  be 
justified. 


94 


VII. 

JUSTICE  AND  MERCY 

When  does  one  become  a  Master?  When 
one  has  learned  all  the  lessons  that  earth 
has  to  teach.  How  does  one  learn  all  these 
lessons?  By  submitting  to  all  the  experi- 
ences natural  to  this  sphere  without  repul- 
sion when  they  are  painful  and  without  at- 
tachment when  they  seem  to  be  pleasant. 
Thus,  taking  things  as  they  are,  and  letting 
them  all  deliver  their  message,  the  period  of 
schooling  is  shortened  for  the  disciple,  and 
his  entrance  upon  the  higher  stages  of  the 
path  begins  earlier  than  would  have  been 
the  case,  had  he  allowed  the  various  quali- 
ties of  his  constitution,  called  Gunas  in  the 
East,  to  play  havoc  with  his  desire  nature  or 
to  otherwise  detain  him.  There  is  a  saying, 
"When  the  disciple  is  ready,  the  Master  is 
ready  also."  When  the  disciple  is  ready 
means  that  he  has  arrived  at  a  stage  when 

H 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

he  can  listen  to  that  voice  which  has  been 
called  "the  Voice  of  the  Silence,"  because 
we  only  hear  it  when  we  have  passed 
through  the  silence  and  accustomed  our- 
selves to  live  and  move  and  have  our  being 
in  it. 

The  first  four  rules  of  Light  on  the  Path 
show  us  how  to  pass  through  the  Silence 
safely.  The  rule  we  shall  consider  tonight 
is  the  third.  "Before  the  voice  can  speak 
in  the  presence  of  the  Master  it  must  have 
lost  the  power  to  wound."  There  is  a  little 
story  of  an  old  Rabbi,  a  great  teacher  of  the 
Qabalah,  whose  first  few  words  when  aris- 
ing in  the  morning  were,  "Heavenly  Father, 
may  I  during  this  day  and  until  I  again 
close  my  eyes  in  sleep  not  be  made  the 
instrument  of  judgment  against  any  brother 
or  sister  of  mine."  At  first  sight  it  seems 
as  if  this  is  just  a  common  prayer  for  help 
from  outside,  but  it  is  not.  Its  scientific 
foundation  is  the  same  as  the  one  underly- 
ing the  precepts  in  the  hall  of  learning 
which,  as  you  know,  are  all  truths  founded 
in  Nature.  In  our  earlier  days,  when  we 

96 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

used  to  pray  in  the  old-fashioned  manner, 
the  object  of  our  prayers  appeared  to  be 
to  make  us  good,  but  later  on  when  we 
learned  to  know  the  true  inwardness  of 
things  and  the  purpose  of  human  life,  we 
found  that  many  a  thing  which  sounded  as 
a  religious  threat  was,  in  reality,  a  statement 
of  fact  inherent  in  the  nature  of  things. 
Now,  when  the  Master  Hilarion  caused  to 
be  written  down  this  rule,  that  "before  we 
can  speak  in  the  presence  of  the  Great  Ones 
our  voices  must  lose  their  power  to  wound," 
he  did  not  mean  to  give  us  a  good  bit  of 
advice,  with  a  promise  attached  to  it — that 
if  we  are  good  the  Masters  will  listen  to  us. 
No  more  did  the  old  Rabbi  mean  anything 
of  this  sort.  The  idea  both  had  in  mind 
is  the  everlasting  truth  written  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  cosmic  law.  That  law  deter- 
mines that  on  every  plane  units  shall  be 
used  for  the  improvement  of  their  species. 
We  see  this  law  governing  the  mineral,  vege- 
table and  animal  kingdoms,  but  it  generally 
escapes  our  attention  that  it  also  holds  good 
in  the  human  kingdom.  Nature  in  her  vast 

97 


The  Hidden  Treasures  oj  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

domains  uses  individuals  and  entities  to 
further  the  growth  of  the  collective  bodies 
of  which  they  are  the  units.  Continual 
progress  is  nature's  aim,  and,  on  the  human 
plane,  she  achieves  it  by  making  every  man 
his  brother's  keeper.  The  feeling  of  repul- 
sion which  we  experience  at  a  wrong  or  care- 
less act  of  a  fellow-man  is  Nature's  safe- 
guard against  the  recurrence  of  a  similar 
act.  She  put  us  where  we  are  in  order  to 
eliminate  the  possibilities  of  wrong-doing. 
But  now,  there  are  various  ways  and  means 
of  achieving  that  end.  Punishment  is  one 
way  and  instruction  is  another.  On  the 
lower  mental  level,  reaction  is  so  quick  and 
violent  that  it  punishes  both  the  wrong-doer 
and  him  who  is  the  witness  of  wrong-doing, 
but,  on  the  higher  mental  level  and  on  the 
planes  beyond  it,  where  the  spiritual  con- 
sciousness is  wide-awake,  reaction  is  of  a 
reflective  and  deliberate  character  and  can 
select  the  mode  of  its  response  to  any  form 
of  discordant  action.  This  principle  was 
known  to  the  sages  and  teachers  of  the 
past,  but  the  cycle  of  evolution  did  not 

98 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

admit  of  its  universal  application.  In  this 
century,  however,  we  find  it  percolating 
slowly  the  social  conscience,  so  that  even 
in  state-prisons  it  is  found  to  be  better  pol- 
icy to  make  the  confinement  of  prisoners 
remedial,  rather  than  vindictive.  Now,  we 
as  students  of  the  Wisdom-Religion,  realize 
that  there  must  be  an  exact  correspondence 
of  these  happenings  on  the  outer  plane, 
within  the  interior  regions  of  our  collective 
soul  life,  of  which  our  social  structure  is 
but  a  temporary  and  transient  expression. 
We  see  Nature  using  us  individuals  as  in- 
struments to  carry  out  her  behests  and  while 
so  doing  refining  both  instrument  and  ma- 
terials. On  the  plane  on  which  those  we 
call  Masters  work,  there  is  no  room  for 
violence  or  for  anything  like  it.  Correction 
there  is,  by  means  of  loving  instruction 
only.  Now,  as  the  Theosophical  Society  is, 
so  to  say,  the  training-ground  for  future 
disciples,  those  who  watch  over  it  find  it 
necessary  from  time  to  time  to  communicate 
to  us  some  of  the  rules  governing  life  on 
those  exalted  planes.  "Light  on  the  Path" 

99 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

is  such  a  communication,  and  the  rule  we 
are  now  considering  is  the  one  destined  to 
regulate  the  relations  between  individuals 
aspiring  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  those 
Holy  Teachers  who  have  learned  all  their 
lessons  in  past  aeons  of  evolution. 

Now,  apart  from  the  reaction  to  wrong, 
which  takes  actual  form  by  punishment, 
there  is  a  finer  and  subtler  mode  of  reaction 
known  as  criticism  or  judgment.  To  have 
lost  the  power  to  wound,  our  capacity  to 
criticise  and  judge  must  have  undergone  the 
same  change  as  the  social  custom  of  punish- 
ing crime  is  gradually  undergoing.  Our 
very  way  of  looking  at  things  must  change. 
To  students  of  Theosophy  this  should  be 
easier  than  to  those  ignorant  of  the  Ancient 
Wisdom.  We,  who  know  that  the  personal 
life  is  an  illusion  and  that  this  whole  ex- 
istence is  simply  Maya,  created  by  Nature 
in  order  to  evolve  the  true  self,  should  not 
find  it  hard  to  see  that  the  tendency  to 
wound,  whether  it  be  by  thought,  or  word, 
or  deed,  is  one  of  the  deceptions  practiced 
upon  us  by  external  nature,  prior  to  the 
100 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

awakening  of  our  true  selves.  It  is  she  who 
makes  us  resent  wrong  and  repel  the  wrong- 
doer. Our  True  Self  knows  no  resentment 
and  is  free  from  repulsion.  In  days  to 
come  it  will  be  as  uncommon  to  criticise  a 
spiritual  failing  as  it  is  today  to  criticise  a 
physical  one.  Even  at  the  present  time, 
well-brought-up  children  would  not  laugh 
at  a  blind  man,  or  at  a  lame  one,  nor  would 
they  make  fun  of  the  deaf  and  dumb;  and 
yet,  does  it  ever  occur  to  us  that,  whatever 
the  misbehavior,  crime  or  vice  of  a  fellow- 
man  may  be,  if  it  awakens  in  us  any  other 
feeling  than  love  and  pity  it  is  because  we 
are  not  yet  well-brought-up  children  on  the 
plane  of  spirit.  When  the  Sixth  Root  Race 
arrives  there  will  probably  be  hospitals  for 
criminals  and  nursing  homes  for  vicious 
people,  and  they  will  all  be  treated  with 
the  same  loving  care  as  we  now  treat  those 
who  are  sick  in  body.  It  is  to  prepare  us 
for  this  stage  that  "Light  on  the  Path"  has 
been  given  to  us.  "Before  the  voice  can 
speak  in  the  presence  of  the  Masters  it  must 
have  lost  the  power  to  wound."  To  realize 
101 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

this  rule  in  its  fulness  means  to  be  free 
from  the  tyranny  of  Nature,  and,  instead 
of  being  unconscious  instruments  in  her 
hands  to  chastise  and  to  give  pain,  we  be- 
come teachers  and  helpers  and  healers,  and 
exercise  mercy  instead  of  judgment. 

Every  time  we  are  called  upon  to  act, 
we  are  faced  by  our  trial,  and  it  depends 
upon  our  attitude  whether  the  doors  to 
further  progress  shall  be  opened  to  us. 

The  first  of  the  vestures  we  have  to  lay 
down  at  the  entrance  to  the  temple  is  that 
innate  tendency  to  judge  and  to  criticise, 
because  it  is  a  loveless  proclivity  of  the  old 
Adam,)  and  within  the  temple  there  is  no 
room  for  that  which  is  loveless.  Therefore 
the  great  Masters  of  the  Inner  Wisdom 
warned  us  that  before  our  voice  can  be 
raised  in  their  presence  it  must  have  lost 
the  power  to  wound.  As  long  as  it  wounds, 
man  cannot  teach,  neither  can  he  help. 
Those  who  wish  to  become  helpers  of  the 
race  must  not  be  instruments  of  judgment, 
and  that  is  why  the  old  Rabbi,  the  teacher 
of  the  Kabala,  prayed  every  morning  im- 

102 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

mediately  after  rising,  "Heavenly  Father, 
may  I  during  this  day  and  until  I  again 
close  my  eyes  in  sleep,  not  be  made  the 
instrument  of  judgment  against  any  brother 
or  sister  of  mine." 


108 


On  the  Threshold  of  the 
Sanctuary 


105 


/  know  not  where  his  islands  lift 
Their  fronded  palms  in  airt 

I  only  know  I  cannot  drift 
Beyond  his  love  and  care. 

— Whittier. 


VIII. 

ON  THE  THRESHOLD  OF  THE  SANCTUARY 

"Before  the  soul  can  stand  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Master  she  must  have  been 
washed  in  the  blood  of  the  heart."  The 
blood  of  the  heart  is,  as  we  know,  the  life- 
essence  and  for  the  soul  to  have  been  washed 
therein  means  that  life  and  all  that  belongs 
to  it  of  joy  and  sorrow  has  been  relegated 
to  a  secondary  place  and  that  the  foremost 
consideration  of  that  soul  is  now  the  will  of 
her  Lord  who  has  been  revealed  to  her  in 
the  process  of  surrender.  It  is  during  this 
process  of  bathing  in  the  life-essence  that 
the  soul  discovers  some  one,  whom  alone 
she  would  like  to  serve.  During  the  years 
of  our  indiscretion,  while  we  are  driven 
hither  and  thither  by  our  various  likes  and 
dislikes,  we  serve  many  Masters,  who  often 
prove  veritable  tyrants  to  us,  but  when  we 
have  had  enough  of  them,  we  find  that  there 

107 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

is  a  Master  of  a  different  stamp,  who  lives 
not  by  our  passions  and  desires,  but  rather 
by  their  suppression  and  subdual.  Now  be- 
fore the  soul  has  made  this  discovery,  it  is 
of  no  use  for  her  to  aspire  to  the  true  Mas- 
ters' presence.  In  fact,  it  may  harm  her  to 
venture  thus  far.  We  often  find  among 
seekers  after  truth,  persons  who  have  over- 
strained themselves  in  one  way  or  another 
and  made  themselves  physical  and  mental 
wrecks  in  their  effort  to  find  and  live  the 
higher  life.  The  reason  for  this  is  their 
disregard  of  the  advice  given  to  occultists 
by  all  the  great  and  good  ones  in  respect  to 
the  dangers  of  the  razor-edged  path.  You 
remember  how  H.  P.  B.,  in  the  "Voice  of 
Silence,"  admonishes  us  to  see  to  it  that  the 
ladder  does  not  give  way  while  we  ascend 
its  rungs. 

The  rungs  of  the  ladder  on  which  we 
climb  upward  are  our  weaknesses  and  bodi- 
ly failings.  To  overcome  these  is  our  first 
task  before  we  enter  the  outer  court  of 
the  temple.  To  enter  into  the  Holy  of  Holies 
with  the  old  desires  clinging  to  us,  spells 

108 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

disaster.  No  truly-great  teacher  will  accept 
a  pupil  who  does  not  seek,  by  renunciation 
and  by  devotion  to  prove  himself  worthy  of 
the  wisdom  which  he  is  striving  to  attain. 
In  the  Gita  we  are  told  that  no  one  is  to  be 
taught  the  higher  truths  who  does  not  prac- 
tice Tapas,  which  means  renunciation  of  all 
that  is  of  the  earth  earthy.  In  the  Upan- 
ishands  too,  great  stress  is  laid  upon  self- 
control,  and  the  great  Yogis  of  the  East 
have  at  all  times  been  ascetics  first  and  dis- 
ciples afterwards. 

To  stand  in  the  presence  of  the  Master 
implies  to  be  a  channel  to  their  sublime 
teachings,  but  how  can  one  serve  as  a  chan- 
nel who  has  not  been  purified?  You  would 
not  think  of  drinking  water  that  runs 
through  an  unclean  pipe,  for  fear  of  its 
having  been  contaminated.  No  more  can 
one  benefit  by  a  spiritual  channel  which 
is  not  thoroughly  clean,  for  fear  of  the  im- 
purities that  may  have  found  their  way  into 
it  during  the  process  of  transmission. 

The  blood  of  the  heart  symbolizes  the 
passions  of  the  earthly  man,  and,  in  their 

109 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

control  and  final  extinction,  lies  the  secret 
of  regeneration.  The  Path  of  Discipleship 
is  strewn  with  many  wrecks  on  account  of 
the  failure  to  heed  the  warnings  of  our 
ancient  teachers  who  told  us  of  the  many 
pitfalls  on  the  way.  The  Master  Hilarion, 
who  inspired  The  Light  of  the  Path  and  who 
occupies  a  high  rank  in  the  great  Hierarchy, 
had  probably  unique  opportunities  to  study 
the  ways  and  means  that  best  secure  and 
shorten  the  passage  to  the  other  shore.  From 
his  exalted  position,  he  could  observe  those 
who  succeeded  and  those  who  failed  and 
he  also  saw  the  reason  why.  In  this  gem 
of  occult  literature,  called  Light  of  the  Path, 
he  gives  us  the  benefit  of  his  experiences. 
If  we  value  our  higher  life  we  should  not 
neglect  so  expert  an  advice  as  that  of  Master 
Hilarion.  That  which  troubles  us  most  in 
treading  the  Path  is  our  habit  of  compro- 
mise. We  are  not  whole-hearted  and  gen- 
erally do  things  by  halves,  the  result  being 
that,  whenever  we  enter  upon  the  higher 
stages  of  advancement,  we  find  many  things 
to  be  undone  and  many  a  habit  to  be  broken, 
no 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

In  those  high  altitudes  the  lightest  discord 
creates  wrong  vibrations  which  baffle  the 
young  soul  just  emerging  from  the  Egyp- 
tian darkness  and  not  only  bar  her  way  to 
further  progress  but  often  throw  her  back 
into  the  abyss  of  repeated  incarnations  in 
matter.  This  is  not  a  figurative  mode  of 
illustration,  but  a  statement  of  actual  fact. 

There  are  two  passages  in  The  Outer 
Court  to  which  I  would  like  to  call  your 
special  attention.  Here  is  the  first:  "When 
once  a  soul  has  passed  through  the  gateway 
of  the  Temple,  she  goeth  out  no  more." 
The  other  passage  is  a  quotation  from  the 
Upanishads.  It  says,  "If  a  man  would  find 
his  soul,  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  cease 
from  evil  ways." 

Now  these  two  passages  are  complemen- 
tary to  each  other,  as  you  will  see  presently. 
First,  what  does  it  mean  "When  a  man 
enters  the  Temple  he  goeth  out  no  more." 
Well,  it  is  this:  If  we  pledge  ourselves  to 
service  and  enter  the  Path,  there  can  never 
be  any  withdrawal  without  utter  destruction 
of  mind  and  body.  The  higher  forces 
111 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

which  we  contact  on  entering  the  Path  can- 
not be  played  with,  any  more  than  you  can 
play  with  fire.  If  we  present  ourselves  to 
the  Guardians  of  these  powers  as  servants, 
it  is  against  the  law  to  release  us  from  our 
pledge.  Therefore  the  disciple  used  to  be 
exhorted  in  olden  times  before  taking  his 
vow,  and  terrible  ordeals  were  imposed 
upon  him  prior  to  his  initiation. 

Now  turning  to  the  other  passage,  "To 
cease  from  evil  ways":  Well,  what  is  evil? 
And  what  are  evil  ways?  There  are  many 
things  which  the  man  in  the  street  would 
consider  quite  harm/ess,  and  yet  to  the  dis- 
ciple they  are  harm/a/.  It  is  this  difference 
that  must  be  borne  in  mind.  For  the  disci- 
ple to  cease  from  evil  ways  means  to  refrain 
from  every  act  (and  thought  is  an  act,  let 
us  well  remember)  which  has  not  the  abso- 
lute approval  of  the  Higher  Self.  If  the 
desire-nature  and  the  mind  have  been  so 
trained  as  to  respond  to  every  command  of 
the  Lord  within,  and  if  love  has  become  the 
supreme  Sovereign,  ruling  in  the  heart  of 
the  disciple,  then  may  he  pledge  himself 

112 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

without  fear  of  falling  back,  for  then  only 
can  he  be  sure  to  have  ceased  from  evil 
ways.  There  is  a  stage  in  the  disciple's 
life  which  merits  our  special  attention.  It 
is  the  period  of  the  great  trial  of  his  faith. 
At  this  stage  the  law  of  affinity  makes  itself 
felt.  This  well-known  law  which  governs 
the  mineral  world  holds  good  in  the  spirit- 
ual life  of  man.  The  affinities  that  bind 
atom  to  atom  in  the  mineral  world  govern 
also  the  association  of  thoughts  and  ideas. 
If  we  try  to  cast  aside  the  habits  of  a  life- 
time, as  we  generally  do  on  entering  the 
Path,  then  this  law  of  affinity,  which  lies 
latent  in  our  subsconcious  nature,  suddenly 
rises  against  us  and  binds  us  to  those  ten- 
dencies which  have  grown  up  within  us 
throughout  the  innumerable  lives  of  the 
past.  The  disciple's  task,  having  to  face 
this  opposition,  is  to  fortify  himself  in  his 
inner  stronghold,  and  to  exercise  all  the 
Divine  patience  of  which  he  may  be  cap- 
able, in  liberating  himself  by  short  degrees 
from  the  chains  which  he  himself  has 
forged.  The  quality  most  needful  in  this 

113 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

struggle  is  sweet  patience.  There  may  be 
failure  to  attain  the  ideal;  usually  there 
will  be  many  failures,  for  even  in  the  higher 
altitudes  of  spiritual  endeavor  there  cannot 
be  uninterrupted  progress.  You  remember 
it  is  said,  "Even  Great  Ones  have  fallen 
from  the  threshold."  So  there  is  great  need 
for  endurance  and  persistence,  and  after 
every  slip  and  fall  the  disciple  must  rise 
and  take  heart  and,  as  the  Gita  tells  us, 
"return  to  the  charge  again  and  again." 

Before  the  soul  can  stand  in  the  Masters' 
presence  this  battle  must  have  been  fought 
and  won.  We  are  of  no  use  to  Them  until 
this  has  been  done. 

To  wash  the  soul's  feet  in  the  blood  of 
the  heart  means  to  tear  out  the  old  remem- 
brances root  and  branch,  not  only  to  be 
able  to  control  desire  but  to  have  none;  not 
only  to  look  longingly  to  the  great  ideal 
before  us,  but  to  be  earnestly  engaged  in 
its  realization.  The  mystery  of  the  thresh- 
old is  to  be  ready ;  to  have  our  loins  girded 
and  our  lamps  burning  awaiting  the  pleas- 
ure of  the  King  and  His  command.  The 

114 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

soul,  which  has  fitted  herself  in  good  time, 
will  find  that  love's  labor  has  not  been  lost 
and  that  a  glorious  fruition  awaits  her  on 
the  very  threshold  of  the  Temple.  But 
even  while  preparing  for  it  in  this  life,  the 
truly-enlightened  aspirant  finds  that  it  is 
indeed  worth  while  to  obey  the  vision  he  has 
seen,  and  the  calmness  and  serenity  which 
surrounds  him  after  every  conquest  are  the 
heralds  of  the  great  peace  which  shall  enter 
his  heart  when  the  sublime  end  has  been 
achieved  and  the  day  is  at  an  end.  Then 
the  laborer  shall  find  rest  and  while  resting 
prepare  the  ground  for  his  future  career  in 
cycles  yet  to  come  and  in  worlds  yet  to  be. 
We  come  now  to  a  very  important  point, 
one  which  cannot  be  sufficiently  emphasized, 
and  that  is  the  best  ways  and  means  to  be 
adopted  by  the  disciple  to  minimize  the 
dangers  of  falling  back  after  the  Path  has 
once  been  entered.  There  are  many  books 
instructing  us  in  this  and  each  of  them  is 
good  in  its  own  way.  The  Holy  Qabalah 
teaches  us  that  in  most  cases  the  career  of 
incarnate  man  upon  earth  is  first  expiation 

118 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

and  then  the  acquisition  of  new  experience. 
Now  as  to  expiation,  the  lives  of  many  mil- 
lions of  human  beings  are  really  nothing 
more  than  one  long  chain  of  expiation. 
Think  of  those  masses  of  toiling,  sorrowing, 
starving  people  who  have  never  had  a 
chance  in  their  lifetime.  What  are  they 
here  for?  But  even  in  the  case  of  those 
whose  lives  are  along  more  pleasant  lines, 
misery  is  not  absent.  There  are  plenty  of 
heart-breaks  and  sorrows,  the  causes  of 
which  are  not  always  evident  to  the  suf- 
ferers. These  causes  lie  generally  far  back 
in  their  former  lives  upon  earth,  this  pres- 
ent incarnation  having  for  its  object  the 
expiation  of  ancient  wrongs.  In  the  case  of 
disciples,  this  truth  of  expiation  should 
never  be  lost  sight  of,  for  it  supplies  a 
much  needed  explanation  of  many  other- 
wise puzzling  experiences  that  advanced 
students  are  called  upon  to  endure. 

Then  there  is  the  second  object  of  incar- 
nation, namely,  the  acquisition  of  new  ex- 
perience. This  too  applies  to  the  disciple, 
for  however  detached  from  earthly  things 

116 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

he  may  already  be,  he  still  may  stand  in 
need  of  some  knowledge  which  can  only  be 
gained  by  his  association  with  the  children 
of  men  and  by  the  observation  of,  and  par- 
ticipation in,  these  manifold  struggles  and 
labors,  incidental  to  earth-life.  It  is  right 
here  that  he  learns  to  be  in  the  world  but 
not  of  it. 

Now  before  the  soul  can  stand  in  the 
presence  of  the  Masters,  this  ordeal  of  ex- 
piation and  atonement  must  have  been  gone 
through.  The  blood  of  the  heart  in  which 
the  Soul's  feet  are  to  be  washed  is  just  this 
painful  process  of  atoning  for  all  the 
wrongs  of  days  gone  by.  Thus  the  soul 
pays  back  the  uttermost  farthing,  as  all 
souls  must  do,  and  learns  to  identify  herself 
with  all  that  breathes  and  lives.  No  matter 
how  humble  and  lowly  a  human  creature 
may  be,  no  matter  how  sinful  and  weak, 
the  disciple  who  has  learned  his  lessons 
aright  knows  all  these  creatures  to  be  parts 
of  the  Great  Divine  Love  to  whom  they  are 
just  as  dear  as  he  himself. 

Thus  the  Qabalah  tells  us  that  by  learn- 

117 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

ing  this  last  lesson  of  identification  with 
high  and  low,  the  disciple  becomes  a  co- 
operator  with  those  high  intelligencies  whom 
we  call  Masters,  and,  under  Their  guid- 
ance and  with  their  help,  he  continues  his 
career,  ever  upward,  and  ever  onward,  until 
he  enters  the  presence  of  the  Ancient  of 
Ancients,  the  merciful  Teacher  of  Gods, 
angels  and  men. 


118 


The  Light  Eternal  According 
to  the  Qabalah 


lift 


The  secret  Brotherhoods  which  formed 
the  splendour  of  Egypt  taught  that  life  itself 
is  the  great  Initiator,  and  the  Qabalah,  from 
which  the  Wisdom  of  the  Egyptian  Hiero- 
phants  was  derived,  enjoined  upon  its  stu- 
dents to  "store  the  melody  of  life  in  their 
hearts"  and  to  learn  from  it  all  that  is 
needful. 


120 


IX. 

THE  LIGHT  ETERNAL  ACCORDING  TO  THE 
QABALAH 

The  Light  Eternal  comes  from  the  bosom 
of  God  and  shines  in  the  eyes  of  every  good 
man.  It  illuminates  the  face  and  lends  a 
gentle  touch  to  its  expression  and  features. 
It  is  wholly  absent  in  the  countenance  of  the 
ungodly  and  no  effort  of  theirs  will  imitate 
it.  It  is  a  gift  from  the  good  God  to  the 
children  of  light,  and  he  bestows  it  upon 
them  as  a  mark  of  his  special  affection. 

Blessed  be  the  man  in  whom  this  light 
has  been  lighted,  for  he  will  never  lack 
anything  needful,  and  even  the  wrath  of 
his  enemies  will  work  good  for  him.  It  is 
the  light  which  the  Prophets  spoke  of,  and 
the  Patriarchs  desired  so  very  much.  It  is 
the  priceless  pearl  which  it  is  well  worth 
while  to  search  after.  Seek  it,  0  Man! 
but  not  outside  thee. 


121 


Regeneration  According  to 
the  Qabalah 


us 


For  what  is  a  seed  but  a  cylinder  on 
which  is  registered  in  photographic  script 
the  autobiography  of  its  evolution. 


123 


REGENERATION    ACCORDING    TO   THE 
QABALAH 

There  is  a  beautiful  passage  in  the 
Qabalah  which  explains  the  process  of  re- 
generation in  nature.  I  cannot  quote  it 
verbatim,  but  it  is  to  the  effect  that  when- 
ever any  substance  in  Nature  is  to  be  re- 
newed and  regenerated,  the  negative  or 
chemical  force  of  light  assumes  the  reins 
and  increases  the  force  of  repulsion  within 
the  atom  so  that  it  subdues  its  opponent — 
attraction,  and  the  atom  is  repelled  and 
separated  from  its  neighbour  atoms. 

When  the  positive  or  polar  forces  of  light 
again  asserts  its  power  and  increases  the 
attraction,  the  atom  acquires  new  affinities, 
and  a  new  substance  is  formed.  This  hap- 
pens to  physical-plane  atoms  and  to  spir- 
itual-plane ones  as  well.  The  thoughtful 
student  will  grasp  the  analogy  between  the 
two  realms  of  nature  and  understand  many 
things  suggested  so  forcibly  by  this  illustra- 
tion. 


124 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

Is  it  not  the  same  with  the  individual 
soul  when  the  time  arrives  for  it  to  renew 
its  substance  and  to  be  regenerated?  Is  not 
the  passionate,  impulsive  nature,  the  lustful 
flesh,  wishing  to  do  the  things  that  grieve 
the  Spirit,  the  very  principle  of  repulsion 
broken  loose  and  overbalancing  the  attract- 
ive power  of  the  spiritual  atom? 

What  a  lesson  for  us  to  be  kind  and 
patient  and  forgiving  to  those  in  whom  sin 
and  sense  are  still  ruling!  How  it  teaches 
us  to  see  in  those  who  have  fallen  only  our 
younger  brothers  and  sisters  in  whom  a 
natural  process  is  going  on ;  yea,  sometimes 
they  may  be  our  elders  upon  whom  nature 
is  just  putting  the  finishing  touch.  As  soon 
as  the  centripetal  power  of  attraction  again 
asserts  itself  in  them,  they  may  become  the 
Helpers  of  their  kind,  Leaders  and  Bene- 
factors of  the  race,  using  their  experiences 
for  the  good  of  their  unfortunate  fellow- 
brothers  and  fellow-sisters. 


125 


A  QABALISTIC  PRAYER 

Eternal  God,  Father  of  our  spirit,  en- 
lighten us  how  to  pray  rightly  unto  thee. 
We  would  waste  no  vain  words  and  we  desire 
no  material  benefits.  But  our  hearts  yearn 
and  long  for  the  knowledge  of  Thee,  and 
for  Thy  peace.  In  the  fulness  of  Thy  mer- 
cies grant  us  this  prayer  and  fill  our  hearts 
with  Thy  love  to  overflowing  so  that  we 
may  not  love  only  those  who  love  us,  but 
those  who  do  not  even  know  what  love  is. 
May  we  ever  be  aware  of  our  humble  origin 
and  of  our  weakness  in  the  days  gone  by, 
so  that  our  hearts  may  open  themselves  not 
only  to  the  strong  who  give  us  joy,  but  also 
to  the  weak  ones  who  give  us  pain.  It  is 
hard  for  us  to  do  it,  hard  indeed  but  enable 
us,  0  Heavenly  Father,  to  sincerely  try  it 
and  not  to  weary  in  the  attempt.  The  road 
is  steep,  and  dark  is  the  night  of  our  jour- 
ney; our  knees  do  often  falter  and  we  can- 
not as  yet  catch  a  glimpse  of  our  eternal 
home,  but  we  know  that,  even  in  the  obscur- 

126 


The  Hidden  Treasures  of  the  Ancient  Qabalah 

ity  of  the  night,  Thou  art  near.  Unto  Thee, 
then,  we  commend  ourselves,  and  pray  Thee 
to  awaken  and  deepen  within  us  the  con- 
sciousness of  thy  presence  so  that  we  may 
go  on  our  way  rejoicing,  until  that  day 
when  our  labors  shall  be  over  and  we  shall 
awaken  in  thy  likeness. 


12T 


Whatever  the  test  that  rends  the  soul, 
Whatever  the  grief,  that  floods  thy  sorrow- 
ing heart  with  tears, 
Whatever  thy  spirit  fears, 
Let  it  all  lift  thee  up, 
To  kiss  the  very  cross  that  blights  thy  life, 
For  in  the  fulness  of  His  grace 
Thou  shall  see  Him  face  to  face, 
And  after  the  darkness  of  the  night 
Thou  shall  rejoice  in  His  glorious  light. 


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